Holy Trinity’s Coffee Bar in Warrington town centre is celebrating after being awarded National Lottery funding of £255,490 over five years to support and develop its work supporting local residents.
Based in Holy Trinity Church on the corner of Market Gate and Sankey Street, Coffee Bar will use the money to support and expand existing activities as well as to recruit a new role of Capacity, Partnerships & Funding Coordinator.
Coffee Bar has been a cherished part of our community for almost 40 years. Initially set up as a low-cost café, it has evolved into a vital place of support, acceptance and belonging which is known for working collaboratively with statutory agencies and other VCFSEs to support people in need.
Coffee Bar is staffed by Rev Jill Wheatley, Steve Wright (Pastoral Support Worker & Coffee Bar Coordinator) and by a committed team of volunteers. It currently opens on Mondays and Wednesdays between 10am and noon and on Fridays between 10am and 1pm. Coffee Bar makes a real difference in people’s lives by:
- serving hot & cold refreshments at no charge
- being accessible and welcoming to all
- offering pastoral and practical care and support
- being a person-centred space with no pressure to engage
- facilitating a very popular crafts & activities table
- nurturing community
- keeping an emergency stock of food, hygiene and clothing supplies
- connecting people with statutory and other VCFSE services
- providing volunteering opportunities, unlocking skills and confidence, and helping people to live fuller lives
- maintaining a strong safeguarding environment
The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will enable Coffee Bar to fund a new post of Capacity, Partnerships & Funding Coordinator, undertake some energy saving improvements and open one extra day. This will enable Coffee Bar to help more people in more ways, and hopefully mean Coffee Bar is still thriving in 2065!
Steve Wright (Pastoral Support Worker & Coffee Bar Coordinator) says: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. We have achieved so much by sheer grit and determination, and through the tireless dedication of our volunteers. However, since Covid, demand for our services has grown and we’ve been running at an unsustainable loss – like most charities, we’ve been hit by rising costs and falling donations as the cost-of-living crisis has become embedded in everyday life. Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to maintain and develop our offering, enabling us to help more people in more ways to fulfil their potential, live well and lead fuller lives.”
One of Coffee Bar’s valued volunteers shared the following: “The Team here helped me through such a difficult time in my life. Once I got back on my feet, I knew I wanted to volunteer to help others the same way I was helped. Now I assist in Coffee Bar and it’s so rewarding to support people facing similar struggles.”
Coffee Bar is a Warm Welcome Space, a Place of Welcome, a Network of Kindness Hub, a Warrington in Mind member and is quality accredited by Warrington Borough Council’s EQIS scheme. If you would like to find out more about Coffee Bar or are interested in volunteering, please visit Holy Trinity’s website at Holy Trinity Coffee Bar or Coffee Bar Volunteering or contact the Team using the details below:
The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its strategy, ‘It starts with community’, which will underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030.
As part of this, the funder has four key missions, which are to support communities to come together, be environmentally sustainable, help children and young people thrive and enable people to live healthier lives.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year (2023/24) The National Lottery Community Fund awarded over half a billion pounds (£686.3 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK, supporting over 13,700 projects to turn their great ideas into reality.
To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
