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Saving Eden Cafe for Community Use

Cherwell Collective, CIC By Cherwell Collective, CIC

Witney’s much loved Eden Cafe needs our help to save a plant-based menu, and expand existing community initiatives (Safe Places, Oxfordshire Parkinson’s UK meet ups) to make a warm space open for all

Witney Delivery stage

£3,390
pledged of £72,485

Sorry this project was unsuccessful, we did not reach our fundraising goal.

We want to expand the offering of Eden Cafe (a vegan cafe) in Witney so that it provides, as well as delicious, planet-friendly food, a community hub for climate and social justice activities including: a freezer of love (where people can purchase meals for those in need and have them frozen ready to distribute/ heat for consumption) and space for surplus distribution/ free meals for those in need signposting to support wellbeing activities and welcoming units like citizens advice and samaritans to share the space dedicated family space in the cafe including discreet free meal program Establish winter warm space activity regime included seated exercise Waste Innovation Station exhibits around building climate resilience together as a unit speed dating and other social events offered at low/ no cost to the community for Eden cafe fans don't fret, we plan on still having the delicious and planet friendly food on site, just adding a bit of space for a community hub

What we'll deliver:

  • Establish a freezer of love open to all in Witney to increase access to nutritional plant based foods for those in need
  • Waste Innovation Station Climate Action exhibits helping people make more sustainable choices
  • Provide meals at no/low cost to the community after cafe hours
  • Open for climate speed dating and other social events outside cafe hours
  • Open space for other community organisations to meet or speak with people at cafe
  • Institute a "pay it forward" system for meals and other amenities
  • Create a family space
  • Revamp the menu to include transparency about the benefits of the vegan diet for the planet
  • Support well being activities for the community on site within 6 months.

Why it's a great idea:

The benefits are threefold: 1. Support the continued success of Eden Cafe 2. Support Witney community to have an open access hub with no barriers/ means testing 3. Support grassroots climate resilience building in Witney

Steps to get it done:

  • Clearing front freezer so it can become freezer of love
  • Streamlining menu
  • Installing planters for kitchen herb garden
  • recruiting volunteers for extended hours
  • installing educational exhibits around food waste in the space
  • Youth night (silent disco or music will reach out to local schools and youth groups for what they want)

After hearing about the possibility of losing Witney’s much loved Eden Café, we knew we had to act to save this vegan hub and community gem. The current owner, Becs, has been looking to sell or close the café (as a last resort) to focus on her health and recovery from recent treatment for breast cancer. It’s very important to Becs, and many of the regular customers of Eden, that the cafe retains its core vegan ethos and continues to support the local community. We want to continue building on the strong foundations that Becs and the Eden Café team have established over the last 10 years. Adding to community initiatives, such as being a registered Safe Places location and hosting regular Oxfordshire Parkinson’s UK social meet ups. We want to use the goodwill it has built up to introduce even more people to good plant-based food, build climate resilience together, and make a warm space with a “freezer of love” to prevent food waste, and to increase community well being.

Location Witney

About the space

Custom Location

Council

West Oxfordshire District Council

How will the money be spent?Target (inc. fees)  £72,484

project management, volunteer recruitment and management - £7,200
Coffee machine La Marzocco Linea PB - £6,306
Air con - £5,982
Evaluation of local community and needs - £5,400
Exhibit Creation and installation - £5,400
misc equipment - £5,000
Volunteer costs (training, fuel, etc) - £5,000
Ice Cream Machine (Spaceman T15 - £4,068
marketing and promotion - £3,750
driver/ distributions - £3,600
Other - £14,697

Costs Breakdown

This shows how money raised for the project will be spent. These costs have been confirmed by the project's Delivery Manager and verified.

project management, volunteer recruitment and management
£7,200
Coffee machine La Marzocco Linea PB
£6,306
Air con
£5,982
Evaluation of local community and needs
£5,400
Exhibit Creation and installation
£5,400
misc equipment
£5,000
Volunteer costs (training, fuel, etc)
£5,000
Ice Cream Machine (Spaceman T15
£4,068
marketing and promotion
£3,750
driver/ distributions
£3,600
Other Read More
£14,697
  • display cabinet
    £2,618
  • Fire alarm system
    £2,453
  • rain catchment
    £2,444
  • Smeg Commercial Diswasher
    £2,070
  • Oven
    £1,699
  • raised bed installation coordination
    £1,200
  • cabinets
    £1,195
  • Full kitchen Extraction
    £708
  • compost (3 tonnes with delivery incurring charge similar to our other sites in bicester/ banbury)
    £310

Overfunding

This project is enabled for overfunding. If the project hits its funding goal before the end of the campaign period, any extra funds raised will be spent (in order of priority) on:

  • pay previous owner for recipes and other IP related to vegan cooking
  • repaint outdoor cafe seating
  • bespoke "youth nights" such as silent disco, etc

Target (inc. fees)  £72,484

Our Volunteer List

We're currently looking for people to offer skills and time to develop our project! Check out the list of what we need below and then use the 'Volunteer' button to the right to get involved.

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