Special lunch marks 20 years of Well Café at Stamford Methodist Church

A café at the heart of a church community has celebrated its 20th birthday.

A special service of thanksgiving followed by a lunch for past and present volunteers was held recently to mark 20 years of The Well Café at Stamford Methodist Church in Barn Hill.

During the last two decades, the café has raised more than £71,000 for various local and overseas charities, including Nixon Memorial Hospital in Sierra Leone and Street Pastors, Bumps and Beyond, Carers Sitters Service and the Evergreen Care Trust. Special coffee mornings are also held for the Leprosy Mission, Transform Trade and Dementia Support South Lincolnshire.

“As well as raising money for charities, we provide a welcoming space for people to enjoy light lunches, teas and coffees, cakes and scones at reasonable prices, as well as being able to meet and chat with old and new friends. We are also able to provide free meals for people in need thanks to the generosity of some of our paying customers,” said Jan Hetherington, from the church.

“We also sell fairtrade products such as food, cards, crafts and jewellery and we use as many fairtrade items in the café as possible. This benefits the producers in the developing world who really want to be able to trade their way out of poverty with good working conditions, so they can educate their children, have health care and clean water – all things that we take for granted.”

She added that all of this is made possible by a team of dedicated volunteers but more are needed. The church is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 10am and 2pm so anyone with time to spare is invited to call in.