Witney News - Revamp for leisure centre café as charity takes over management

Revamp for leisure centre café as charity takes over management

Fresh, homemade food and new décor is on the menu for the Windrush Leisure Centre café as a charity prepares to take over its management.

The Yellow Submarine charity provides opportunities for young people with learning disabilities in Oxfordshire and the café will be run by some of the adults that it works with, giving them the opportunity to gain valuable work experience and new skills.

The charity is working with West Oxfordshire District Council, which owns the leisure centre, and GLL, the leisure contractor that runs the centre, to manage the café and plans to be open for business next month.

A new menu will include fresh, homemade sandwiches, paninis, toasties and other light meals, along with freshly-made barista-style coffee and homemade cakes and snacks.

The café area will also undergo a makeover, with new furniture and a revamped serving counter.

Cllr James Mills, the District Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure and Health, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming Yellow Submarine to the Windrush Leisure Centre and believe it is a win-win situation for everybody. Not only will it support the charity in its outstanding work to create opportunities for people with learning disabilities, it will also bring something new and exciting to the café which I am sure will be welcomed by leisure centre users.”

The café will be run as a social enterprise by Yellow Submarine, which already operates a successful café in Park End Street, central Oxford, that has been shortlisted as ‘Oxfordshire Café of the Year’, and a catering delivery service.

Toby Staveley, Manager of Yellow Submarine, said: “It’s a wonderful opportunity - coming to the leisure centre in Witney - and we can’t wait to get started. We pride ourselves on creating a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Our café won’t just serve delicious freshly-made food and drinks, it will also create incredible, life-changing opportunities for young people with disabilities.”
Leisure centre users can expect work to begin in the café area in early June.

Peter Cheeseman, GLL’s Windrush Leisure Centre Manager, said: “We are delighted to be able to work in partnership with an established award-winning charitable organisation that will both enhance the service at the Windrush Leisure Centre and help young adults with learning disabilities in Oxfordshire build their confidence and independence.”

More information about the charity and its café services can be found at: www.yellowsubmarine.org.uk/cafe