Community cafe launches to offer judgment-free help with food needs

Debbie Cartwright, Helen Allman and Carl White launched Chase Lighthouse in 2018, where they began supporting the homeless and vulnerable with a weekly soup kitchen. Over the last two years, that soup kitchen grew into a community food table which they run every Sunday at 1pm from the Pye Green Community Centre in Hednesford.

As the cost of living crisis worsens, the demand has grown for their services and the three trustees have now come together to launch the Lighthouse Community Cafe.

It will work as the hub for their community group, Chase Lighthouse, and launches today, June 25, on Market St, Hednesford - the community cafe says it will be a 'place of welcome, a safe place to meet, for a bite to eat, a cuppa and a listening ear.'

They encourage people to sign up to their membership which is £1 per month or £10 for a year, but there is no prejudice towards anyone who cannot afford to pay for the membership, and they say no one will be turned away. The membership fees are to pay for the overheads.

People from the community are invited to come attend the launch where they can come in and enjoy an afternoon tea and also take away groceries which have been donated.

The trustees are welcoming residents in the community to attend ahead of the launch and also welcome donations to help with their overhead costs of running the cafe through their GoFundMe page which can be found at gofundme.com/f/community-cafe-and-community-fridge-in-hednesford

Debbie, one of the three trustees of the group said: "We are launching on Saturday where people can come together at the cafe.

"They can become members where we will serve them hot meals and that will begin on Tuesday, July 5.

"We welcome all to The Lighthouse without prejudice. We are a safe place for our service users to come to, and will soon be registered as a 'Place of Welcome' with Support Staffordshire once our training is complete."