The cafe will also serve as a social enterprise, providing training and work experience for students at Portland College and Vision West Notts College.
A new cafe is due to open in a former bank building in Sutton, Ashfield. After the town’s Yorkshire Bank branch closed, Ashfield District Council refurbished the building, dividing the ground floor into two business spaces.
Tricia Ironside, a local entrepreneur who also operates the renowned Mill Waters Cafe at Kings Mill Reservoir, has leased these flats. On Friday, June 2, she will open Rendezvous Café and Bar at the site.
The cafe will also function as a social enterprise, providing training and work experience to students at Portland College and Vision West Notts College as part of their curriculum. Tricia collaborated with Vision West Notts College students to design the café’s menus and upcycle its furniture.
She has also taken on three hospitality students from Portland College who will be gaining valuable experience in the café working on food preparation, customer service, and waiting tables. The cafe will serve a range of contemporary breakfast and lunch options, including loaded open sandwiches and rainbow pizzas.
Tricia said: “I am so happy to be able to open another business in Ashfield, working with the council. They have been a great support and I can’t wait to welcome you all to my new café. We are hoping to offer something a little bit different in Sutton and I am proud to be able to work with students from Portland College and Vision West Notts College to give them valuable opportunities.”
This is the first of two Future High Streets Fund projects on Low Street. Renovations are due to start soon on the former YMCA shop.
Cllr Matthew Relf, Executive Lead Member for Regeneration and Planning, stated, “The first of our Future High Streets Fund projects has been officially completed, and it’s fantastic that the property will be back in use so soon. Rendezvous will be a terrific new addition to Sutton, and Tricia’s ability to provide real-world experience to students from both colleges is just the frosting on the cake.
“The council is thrilled to support this redevelopment and we are particularly glad that the former Yorkshire bank will once again be a significant component of the high street in Sutton.”
Leave a Reply