'Sadness and joy' as pop-up cafe founder steps down
BBCA woman who set up a weekly pop-up community cafe has said she feels "a mixture of sadness and joy and fulfillment" as she prepares to step down from running it.
Kerry Bird created the Speen Community Cafe in Newbury, Berkshire after feeling the Covid pandemic had left the local community "fragmented and disjointed".
It has run for four years within a pub, offering crafts, activities as well as teas and coffees. It will open monthly when Bird steps down.
Among those attending the cafe, mum-of-four Jazmine Evans said it had been "a constant in our lives".
"The cafe has been a safe space for all of us.
"We find periods that we are at home and at school, going back and forth, and it is just a nice place to come where we know we are going to get out, see other people and connect with others," she added.
Another regular, Lisa Jones, said she first came to the cafe three and a half years ago on the recommendation of a friend who volunteered.
She said it had given her a "reason to get out" every Wednesday.
"It has been fantastic to see people every week and have somewhere to go and not to be isolated," she added.
The cafe runs in a cornered-off section of The Starting Gate pub, with those attending making a small donation.
Bird recalled how she set up the group four years ago for people who wanted to go out to meet friends but also for those who did not have the confidence to do that or would find it too expensive.
It went on to win the small charity of the year category at the 2024 Greenham Trust Awards.
She said: "When we started it was around 20 people a week and that quickly went up to 40-50 and we had up to 100 people on a Wednesday afternoon that just turn up wanting some friendship, some company.
"It's a mixture of sadness and joy and fulfillment and loads of other emotions. I feel sad that I am stepping away but I am not stepping away from my community,"
You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.