The idea
My name is Florence Heath; I have called Pimlico in London home since 2005 and love the area’s village feel.
I am particularly passionate about starting a project with Pets As Therapy, aiming to help children and adults with the therapeutic power of animals. Combining the love of good quality ingredients and food that I acquired whilst growing up in France and throughout my travels, with my business experience and my love of animals, a cat café seems to be the perfect combination of all my skills and passions, set in an area that I love. We will bring up to 10 super friendly RANA -Rescue Animals of North Africa cats over at a time, and once they have settled they would be up for adoption by those who have met and fallen in love with them. The cafe will also provide a much-needed child-safe space for parents with toddlers to relax in (basement/function room) and breast-feeding-friendly space for new mothers to come and enjoy. We will also be acting as a small pet food shop.
What we'll deliver
- Install downstairs WC
- Remodel basement to create office and function room
- Kitchen installation
- Chest freezer
- Bathroom Accessibility Adaptation
- Fire safety installation
- CCTV installation
- Storage refurbishment
- Sponsor one batch of cats' travel
Why it's a great idea
The cafe will be open to all without an entry fee and without a lower age limit. We hope to help alleviate some of the loneliness felt by people of all ages by providing a friendly, welcoming space with the added benefit of feline affection. Pimlico comprises of an important number of elderly residents, and young parents alike, yet informal support facilities for these demographics are few and far between. We aim to act as a bit of a respite space for people to pop into and have an easy conversation, or simply a bit of much-needed physical contact and affection from our cats. We will also be organising a range of themed events such as knitting with cats, film afternoons, coffee tastings, yoga with cats and more. Covid restrictions and lockdown have meant that very large numbers of people have been socially isolated for extended periods of time, and has resulted in many people having to work from home in cramped conditions; we hope to provide some relief to those in this situation too.
Steps to get it done
- Create downstairs WC
- Remodel kitchen
- Create Office Room
- Remodel basement room into events/toddler space
- Install speakers and projector system
- Bring 8 cats
- Decorate staircase and corridor
- Install new lighting throughout the basement
- Lay basement and staircase flooring
We hope to employ 3-6 staff (part time or full time) and inject a bit of energy into our lovely area to ensure it remains a desirable corner to live in for all. We will be looking at a number of sustainability options when setting up the cafe and in the way we work too.
We are keen to support the neighbouring communities - reaching out to those in Mayfair & Belgravia who would also benefit from a safe space to get out of the house and enjoy some affection from our cats.
Unlike other cat cafes we will not operate a booking system for people to spend time with cats, we prefer to keep it accessible to all in the community without cumbersome entry fees.
