A community cafe in Salford has launched a fundraiser to improve their offering and create a green space.
The Vibe Community Cafe on Liverpool Street is one of the charitable initiatives of the Victory Outreach Church, which has been part of the Ordsall community for 15 years.
Now the cafe wants to make an urban garden out of their front patch of tarmac, and improve the cafe’s furniture.
Theresa John has been working with the Victory Outreach Church for ten years, and is spearheading the efforts.
She said: “We want to bring it up to another standard, where people can really feel a sense of quality without having to pay that price.”
Previously, the cafe had been a branch of the Community Grocery food bank charity.
Theresa said: “When we had the community grocery, I noticed that people did need the food provision, but one of the biggest things was isolation and loneliness.
“A lot of people who came to get food actually stayed longer for the company and the environment.”
So when the Community Grocery moved venue eight months ago, the Vibe Cafe was opened.
It offers a friendly and welcoming vibe to customers with any budget.
Theresa said: “We want to be able to provide a space with a sense of dignity and belonging, and somewhere where they can afford to get a coffee or something to eat.”
The church also runs recovery homes which help those with addiction problems improve their lives and re-enter the community.
It is hoped residents will also use the cafe’s facilities.
Theresa places great emphasis on treating everyone who uses the cafe with dignity and kindness.
She told MM: “I think I know what it’s like to be on that side of loneliness and isolation, and then even poverty, which then has its knock on effects of depression and things like that, low self worth.
“It’s really important people are able to come into a space that’s not judgemental.”
The cafe’s Gofundme page can be found here.
