Warwick community centre officially reopens refurbished cafe and launches £70k fundraising campaign

The Stop Gap Café, which is inside The Gap Community Centre in Oakwood Grove, opened its doors on Saturday October 24, with the Mayor of Warwick, Cllr Simon Pargeter, performing the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

More than 70 people attended the launch, where they could eat samples from the menu and get a first look at the new cafe.

The refurbishment marks the first step in The Gap’s ambition to revitalise its entire centre – creating facilities that “better reflect the quality and impact of the services delivered there every day”.

Originally built as a church in the 1960s, the building has since become a much-loved hub, welcoming more than 36,000 people through its doors every year.

Now, The Gap, which is also a charity, is launching a £70,000 fundraising appeal to tackle essential roof repairs, improve existing facilities and support plans for future expansion.

Marcos Campos, CEO of The Gap Community Centre, said: “We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved with the new café and hugely grateful to Cllr Pargeter, the Mayor of Warwick, for taking the time to officially open it.

“However, the refurbishment has also highlighted the wider challenges facing our building.

“While our services continue to make a real difference to people’s lives, we want to ensure the facilities in which they take place are equally inspiring.

“Our vision is to create ‘a vibrant, happy community filled with respect, compassion and confidence, where aspirations are realised and friendships thrive’.

“We see the positive impact of this vision every day, and now we want to invest in the building itself to ensure it can continue to support local people for generations to come.

“With the support of local residents, businesses and organisations, we can turn this ambition into reality.”

The Mayor of Warwick Cllr Simon Pargeter added: “It was a real pleasure and a proud moment to officially open the Stop Gap Café.

“It’s wonderful to see initiatives like this bringing people together, creating connections and providing a welcoming space for the community.”

The Gap supports people of all ages through a range of activities and services, both at its Warwick centre and through its outreach programme.

Its popular Older Adults programme offers activities every day, from arts and crafts and seated exercise to a lunch club.

The organisation also runs youth clubs at The Gap and at other community centres across Warwick.

Now the team at the Gap is calling on residents, businesses and organisations to support its £70,000 fundraising campaign.

Every donation will contribute towards essential repairs and improvements, helping ensure the building remains a valuable resource for the thousands of people who use its services each year.

Donating can be made by going to: www.thegapwarwick.org/donate

The charity also runs its own The Gap Community Lottery.

To find out more about The Gap’s services, fundraising campaign and activities, go to: www.thegapwarwick.org or call 01926 494200