Hello,
It has been a while since we've been in touch, and thats because we've been really busy undertaking public consultation, exploring funding avenues and agreeing on a restoration design for the Rose Garden Cafe that you helped save from Demolition by signing the petition that we started almost 2 years ago!
The full restoration to the agreed design is estimated to cost in the region of £2.6 million, which will include providing new outdoor seating, some of which is under a covered area, a completely redesigned and restructured indoor space, repairs to the front wall including opening up the original doors (which are currently windows), installing solar panels and alternative heat sources, installing a new accessible bathroom and repairing the clock tower. Its an ambitious plan, but one that we hope will mean that the cafe is improved and usable for the next 100 years and beyond.
The cost that has been estimated is just that, an estimate, and we very much hope that we can bring the full restoration in under that amount. We also don't intend to do the full restoration in one go, but phase the work where its appropriate to do so, with as minimal disruption to the operation of the cafe where possible.
We dont plan to raise the full £2.6 million through fundraising, but if we can raise £25,000 as a starting point, this will open the door to wider funding opportunities. And thats our current aim.
To those of you who have donated already - thank you so much! Our current fundraising amount stands at £17,159 - so we are very close!
To continue our fundraising efforts, we are holding a number events over Easter, details of which are provided below. BUT if everyone who signed the petition could donate just £2 we would have smashed our target easily! If you have £2 to spare, please consider donating to the Just Giving Page here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/RoseGardenCafeGravesPark
If you would like to come along to some of our Fundraising events, here's what we have coming up:
Saturday 12th April
10.00am-3.00pm Rose Garden Cafe Easter Fayre.
We will have a stall outside the cafe selling Easter crafts with a raffle too.
Inside the cafe we will have children's face painting and origami sessions.
At 12pm we'll also have an Easter Bonnet Parade for children, best 3 Easter Bonnets win a prize!!
Friday May 2nd
6.30 - 7pm Fun Fundraising Quiz at the Rose Garden Cafe
Tickets are £15 each and include a choice of pie and peas - these are available here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/friendsofgravespark/1620324
Max team size is 6, but if you have a large group do feel free to buy as many tickets as needed and split in to teams! Age 12+.
Drinks will be available to purchase on the night
Lots of prizes available!
This event has kindly been sponsored by Dukes in the Park who are providing all the food for free, staffing the event and opening the cafe for the evening for us.
We're hoping to hold Fundraising events more regularly, so feel free to join our Facebook page and keep an eye on whats coming up!
We are incredibly passionate and excited about the restoration plans - saving the cafe from demolition was only the beginning of the road (if only I'd known when I set up the petition!) and its a long slog ahead of us, but every volunteer involved to date truly believes that saving this amazing, historical, community asset is worthwhile.
Thank you for continued support, we hope to see you at some of the events, or if you cant make those, please consider donating just £2 via the Just Giving Link.
Thats all for now!