Free welcome cafe opens to help community connect in Highworth
Monthly Warm and Welcome Wednesday Cafe offers companionship, a free drink and cake, and access to financial guidance at Highworth Council Rooms.
A free welcome cafe has opened in Highworth to help prevent loneliness by encouraging people to connect. The Warm and Welcome Wednesday Cafe is a monthly initiative run by volunteers behind the Highworth Community Larder and is held on the third Wednesday of each month at the Council Rooms on Gilberts Lane, from 09:30 to 11:00 BST.
The cafe is free to attend and provides a drink and cake, along with a space for conversation and access to resources and advice on issues such as finances. Highworth Town Council is providing the room for free.
The Highworth Community Larder redistributes surplus produce from local allotments and supermarkets that would otherwise go to waste. The group joined the Community Fridge Network and secured space from a local primary school to store and share food. What began with about 30 visitors has grown to close to 100 each week.
"We're [the community larder] now a charity. It's the relief and prevention of poverty in Highworth. We are a good community and we work together," said Alison Durrant, a volunteer with the project.
The cafe initiative aims to connect people, reduce isolation and offer practical help that can improve community health and well-being. Volunteers Karen Gardnerin and Sophie ParkerWiltshire helped launch the cafe and continue to support monthly gatherings, which are part of a broader effort to strengthen ties in Highworth.