A brand-new community cafe has opened its doors in Cringle Park, Levenshulme.
The construction of the new eco-style cafe and accessible toilet provision has just been completed, and the work complements several other recent investments in Cringle Park, including upgraded competition standard tennis courts, outdoor gym equipment, improvements to the play area and a new zip wire.
Lord mayor, councillor Paul Andrews officially opened the new cafe and toilet facilities. A host of activities featuring tennis and karate taster sessions and spoken word recitals were just some of the activities taking place to mark the occasion.
Councilllor Lee-Ann Igbon said: “We’ve created a strong partnership with the community in Cringle Park and the result is this fantastic new cafe and toilet facility where people can relax, enjoy quality food and drinks and feel part of the wider community.
“We are investing in our parks with our communities as they are places where people can enjoy nature, play sport and feel pride in their park – they are not just green spaces, they bring people together and are beneficial for both our physical and mental health.
“Our commitment is demonstrated in the 50% uplift we’ve seen in Park visitors from pre pandemic level. 9.2 million park visitors across the city in the past 12 months”
Grounded MCR CIC, a social enterprise dedicated to supporting community mental health has been awarded the contract to operate the café – it is led by residents, Kerry and Natalie Lobel. They provide employment opportunities for individuals experiencing anxiety, allowing them to work at their own pace in an inclusive and understanding environment.
This is the first new cafe to open in a park in several years and is part of the refreshed parks action plan and wider parks strategy, which aims to continue building on partnerships with community groups to improve and enhance local park service provision as well as generating income into the service.
Natalie Lobel from Grounded MCR said: “Grounded Manchester CIC is so happy to have been given the chance to open a community cafe in Cringle Park. Thank you to MCC – between us we can support local disadvantaged people into work whilst improving the mental health of our staff and customers. We can’t wait to get cracking.“
Grounded are a pivotal force in the community and already organise a variety of events in the park, including dog shows, health and wellbeing festivals and nature walks. For almost four years, they have been serving the community from their vibrant coffee trike near the Cringle Park playground, bringing people together through coffee and connection.
In addition to the cafe, extensive planting and landscaping improvements have been made, including a new ‘green roof’ to ensure the cafe is sympathetic to the park surroundings.
The cafe will be serving a range of affordable hot and cold food and beverages and in line with the council’s commitment to reducing food waste, Grounded will be working with FareShare to save unused food from being wasted.
