St Swithins - Cafe Church Blesses Walcot's Community
When is a cafe not just a cafe?... When it is a church! Home to listening courses, the Alpha Course and a new 'Cafe Life' course - St Swithin's Crypt Cafe is just that. Part of the Walcot Arts Trail and open to all in the Walcot community, this church-run cafe with 50 per cent of the staff being volunteers, served around 2,000 cups of coffee in its first year!
Operations Manager, Penny Gibson, who also works in the cafe when required, tells us about this dynamic community impacting project!
(PICTURE: PENNY GIBSON, OPERATIONS MANAGER, ST SWITHIN'S CHURCH)
"We hope to build friendship with our regular visitors and provide a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Visitors with children feel particularly welcomed. The cafe is a place to bring our friends and provides a bridge for people into our church community.
"Alpha, a thriving toddler group and regular children's activities 
days are enjoyed in the cafe and we are seeing more clearly the plans God has for this space." says Penny.
The cafe opened its doors to serve coffee, teas and cakes in August 2008, as St Swithin's Church's first 'tangible expression of reaching into the local community'. Within two months, the two days a week open basis increased to five days a week and soups and lunches were added to the menu.
Two years on and menu items including soups, ploughman's lunch, ham and rocket rolls, smoked salmon pate and a tempting array of cakes are made on site.
"We set up our cafe following our whole church refurbishment, because we wanted to open the doors to our local community and get to know them on neutral territory - the cafe is in the church crypt!" says Penny.
Comments such as 'An oasis of peace in the midst of the turmoil of life today', 'what a discovery, so welcoming and excellent soup!' and 'such a joy to see St Swithin's being used in this way', have been left in the cafe's Visitor's Book.
Opening times for the Cafe In The Crypt are; 10am to 3pm from Tuesday to Friday and 11am to 4pm on a Saturday. The toddler group takes place each Thursday from 10am to 12pm.