Sutton Scotney Community Cafe
Sutton Scotney Community Café
Newsletter 2025
The Community Café has been held at Victoria Hall since September 2021. Prior to this we were at The Wonston Arms and known as Wonston Community Café. 2025 is an exciting year for us as we will be 10 years old in November. We will have a big celebration and hope you will join us. Details to be released nearer the time! We hope you will continue to join us on the third Wednesday of each month throughout 2025 (except August) for fresh coffee, tea and home baked cakes.
Why a community café?
Providing a community activity that all can enjoy is our prime purpose. We love bringing people together by providing a convivial atmosphere in which residents can meet up with friends and make some new ones whilst enjoying high quality drinks and homemade cakes, which are loving donated. Over the years we have seen the growing importance of the café to the community as demonstrated by the ever increasing numbers we serve.
We are thrilled that we can also support charities with the proceeds of the café. Since the first café in November 2015, charity donations total a magnificent £25,000. We cannot thank you enough for supporting the café so generously with your purchases and additional donations. Charity begins at home and we want to stress that our prices are indicative only and you can ‘pay’ for your drinks and eats by donating whatever you can afford.
We have also become something of a ‘community hub’ where community support services can make their services known to the wider community. An example of this is the team from the Gratton Surgery who were available to talk to café customers about the help that can be provided through Social Prescribing and the role of The Friends of the Gratton. Citizens Advice provided us with information on major benefit changes such as the scrapping of the winter fuel payments and the importance of registering for Pension Credit in order to continue to receive the winter fuel benefit. Our local Community Police Officers also drop in as they see it as an excellent opportunity to catch up with local issues from local residents.
It is very rewarding to know that what started as a ‘coffee morning’ has become so important to the community.
How are charities chosen?
Our team of volunteer helpers, servers and bakers can put forward charities they would like us to support. Often these are charities that have played a significant part in their life or a member of their family’s life. We also have a focus on local charities such as the Church Pantry and Defibrillator Fund and we get direct approaches from local and national charities.
How much do charities receive?
The chosen charity of the month will receive that months takings/donations minus expenses for the coffee, tea and milk etc. All bakes are donated.
In 2024 we donated a total of £5,004 to the following 11 charities.
Women’s Section Royal British legion
Read Easy, Winchester
BOAZ
Citizens Advice
Air Ambulance
Scots Tots
Church Pantry
Autism Dog for Stefan
Blood Cancer UK
Victoria Hall
GoLD, Winchester
Our proposed charities for 2025 are:-
January Countess of Brecknock Hospice
February Mother & Baby Unit Winchester Hospital
March Boaz
April Talking Newspaper
May Winchester Youth Counselling Support
June Church Pantry
July Wessex Cancer Support
August No café
September Hedgehog Charity
October Blood Cancer UK
November Muscular Dystrophy
December Winchester Good neighbour Scheme
We would like to extend our thanks to the Parish Council for their annual grant which covers renting the Victoria Hall.
And, last but not least, our thanks to you for your continued support.
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