ON MOST TUESDAYS, St John’s Church in Gosbrook Road becomes the Caversham Community Café – 3Cs. The café serves a range of coffees, teas and hot chocolate, as well as sweet snacks, toasted sandwiches and baked potatoes. It is run by a team of volunteers. The 3Cs was started up around 2013 under the Lower Caversham Community Partnership (LCCP). Setting up of the café included essential tables and chairs and a custom counter and cupboard for the coffee equipment. Reading-based Kingdom Coffee helped us with the coffee making side, supplying an espresso machine and barista training. They also supplied our robust crockery and continue to supply our coffee beans. More recently a new espresso machine replaced the original, which had done ten years’ service and was getting a little cranky.
Since Covid-19, the café has increased the number of customers, including some regular groups. Most weeks the day starts with the seated ex-service class, most of whom are collected and returned to their homes by Readibus. Mothers and toddlers from the group which meets in Caversham Hall next door call in for refreshments and socialising. The café also serves as a meeting place for the local bereavement group and as a starting and finishing point for Pang Valley Ramblers short café walks. We have a number of regular customers and it’s a good place to meet up, chat and join the good buzz of conversations.
The café needs more volunteers to join its friendly team, which operates on a rota. We set up from 08:30 and are open from 09:30 to 14:00. Hours can be flexible if required. On the job training is provided. If you would like to help, please contact Marie Barnett on 07854 493671
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