Hospice to open first café at Staffordshire marina

St Giles Hospice is launching a new café at Barton Marina to raise funds for its care services

St Giles Hospice is opening its first café as part of efforts to generate more income to support its services.

Outside Café 83 at Barton Marina are Jess Avery, Community Fundraising Manager, Ben Shaw, Senior Communications and Marketing Officer, and Lisa Thompson, Community and Events Support Officer, who are getting the café ready for its unveiling next week. | ©St Giles Hospice

placeholder image — Outside Café 83 at Barton Marina are Jess Avery, Community Fundraising Manager, Ben Shaw, Senior Communications and Marketing Officer, and Lisa Thompson, Community and Events Support Officer, who are getting the café ready for its unveiling next week. | ©St Giles Hospice

Café 83 will open at Barton Marina on November 5, with the name reflecting the year the hospice was founded.

The café, located beside the Mooring and Boat Sales building, will have seating for 40 and open seven days a week, serving breakfast, lunch and evening snacks.

The menu will include sandwiches, baguettes, jacket potatoes, sausage rolls, cakes and a children's menu, alongside hot, soft and alcoholic drinks.

Dogs will also be welcome, with water and treats available.

The café is expected to attract boaters, walkers, dog walkers, holidaymakers and local residents, with the space also available to hire for private events such as birthday parties and baby showers.

The opening forms part of St Giles Hospice's wider plans to diversify its income, alongside its existing network of 27 charity shops across the region.

Inside the newly refurbished Café 83, Jess Avery, Community Fundraising Manager, and Lisa Thompson, Community and Events Support Officer, enjoy a coffee ahead of its opening next week. | ©St Giles Hospice

Rob Evans, associate director of income generation at St Giles Hospice, said: “Café 83 is about giving something back to a place that means a lot to us, and to everyone who passes through it, whether that’s boaters, walkers or families out for the day.

“Every coffee and cake sold will help fund our care for local people.”

He said the venture reflected the charity's aim of building sustainable sources of income as demand for its services continued to grow.

Elinor Eustace, chief executive of St Giles Hospice, said the café was an exciting development and hoped it would become a fixture at the marina.

Café 83 will open at 10am on November 5, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The first 50 customers will receive a free coffee.

More information is available at Cafe83.co.uk.