Charity HFT cafe at Milton Heights doomed unless it gets more customers quickly (From Herald Series)

Charity HFT cafe at Milton Heights doomed unless it gets more customers quickly

12:32pm Thursday 9th July 2009

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A COFFEE shop used by adults with learning difficulties to help expand their skills will close in three months unless it attracts more customers.

Managers at Bytes, the coffee shop at charity HFT, formerly the Home Farm Trust, in Potash Lane, Milton Heights, plan to shut up shop in September unless numbers increase.

Bytes, which sells hot meals and refreshments, provides work for many of the HFT residents.

HFT was set up more than 45 years ago in Gloucestershire by parents looking for opportunities for their grown-up children with learning disabilities.

The main site moved to Milton Heights 25 years ago and some of the 38 residents have lived there since it opened.

Project manager Georgina Duncan wants to set up an NVQ course to run alongside the coffee shop to help the 12 residents who work there gain a formal qualification.

Miss Duncan said: “They do all sorts of things, like preparing the fresh quiches and salads, serving customers and helping with the general preparation of other foods.

“At the moment, the coffee shop is taking about £100 a day and the average customer spends about £6. There have been days when we have had just six customers in. There have been some grim days recently. Head management are looking to close the coffee shop in September, but this is still open to negotiation. It would still be used as a training resource, but they really benefit from interaction in the community. It’s a very valuable experience for them.”

Barbara Williams, from HFT, said: “The cafe has been established for more than 20 years and provides work and interest for many of the residents as well as a very useful resource for the staff and the local community. Unfortunately, because of our position tucked away in a leafy corner of Milton Heights, people just do not know we are there and the cafe is now threatened with closure unless we can get more people using it.”

She added: “Many of the regular users are elderly people who have been coming for many years, but we are struggling to attract new customers.”

As well as all-day breakfasts and hot meals, quiches and salads at lunchtime, staff also serve takeaway pizzas, cakes and other refreshments.

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