GRANT FOR CAFÉ REFURBISHMENT
It is pleasing to be able to announce that the Trust has been awarded a grant of £4,100 towards the refurbishment of the café. This is in the form of an AIM (Association of Independent Museums) Sustainability Grant through a scheme made possible by the generosity of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
These grants are intended to help medium and smaller sized members of AIM to improve their medium to long-term financial viability; In our case, the HLF award addresses the standard of our displays and the toilets but we were still aware of shortcomings in the café and shop. The new fittings in the shop (see 'Omnibus' no.173) help in that department, so plans were drawn up to upgrade the café. The success of the café is obviously vitally important to encouraging visitors and hence our financial viability so a grant application for assistance towards the cost was submitted.
Apparently AIM received 35 bids totalling £150,000 and made awards to 14 organisations for sums of money ranging from £750 to £10,000, so we can be pleased at the success of our bid.
So what do we intend to do? The HLF development sees the main entrance door move from its current position to the other side of the building, this being so that there is an entrance near the new toilets and to allow access ramps to be compliant with disability requirements. The diagram shows the proposed new layout for the café although some details may change. The significant features are:-
- Dividing wall / doorway between shop and café so either can be operated independently of the other;
- Enlarged kitchen with food preparation properly separated from dealing with the 'dirties';
- Serving counter by the entrance to allow better circulation of customers;
- Hatch for passing finished-with trays into washing up area;
- Reinstatement of windows and 'breakfast' bar seating arrangement by these;
- New, easy clean, floor covering throughout café and kitchen.
Phil Ireland
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
A registered educational charity no 507191
