Graigos Café‘We’re cheap as chips!’

Serving the community of GraigfelenEvery Friday morning 8.30-9.30am at

Graigfelen Community Hall

Why did we create a community café?

There was nowhere to meet in Graigfelen before we opened the café

We had learnt a little about enterprise but we wanted to set up a real business

So we asked some experts for help

It had to be a real business!

We set up a group that included members of Community groups, Enterprise in the Valley and Communities First.

We created our own business plan.Our volunteers Julie, Tracey and Hayley

have worked really hard to help us develop and run the café.

Craigfelen SpidersBusiness Plan

Sourcing our products We worked with the enterprise students

from Gower College to find the best quality products at the cheapest prices.

They also helped us create a menu, work out the profit of items and design advertising posters

Food hygiene

As we were serving the public, it was important that we followed the guidelines from environmental health.

The staff and volunteers all attended a food hygiene course.

One year ago…

We opened the doors of Graigos Café on February 1st 2013.

The ITV Wales news cameras came to follow the story.

Business Minister Edwina Hart was one of our first customers!

http://www.itv.com/news/wales/search/?q=graigos+cafe

The café at the heart of the community…

We want the café to be at the heart of Graigfelen

This means that we want lots of different local people to use the café

We have organised Bingo cream tea afternoons to encourage different generations to use the café.

Linking our community projects

We wanted to link the different projects the school has developed with the communityThe café is a great place to bring people together in a friendly and relaxed atmosphereWe decided to link our Junior Banking scheme with the café.

The Graigfelen Money SpidersThe Graigfelen Money Spiders was

developed by working in partnership with LASA Credit Union and Communities First

The project is led by the pupils, but is supported by our volunteers Val, Christine and Tracey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfG4cxbezlg

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Encouraging new savers…We decided to organise a special event

to encourage new savers to join the bank, and to reward current savers.

Here are some interviews from the café that morning, filmed by our bankers!

The future…An exciting new community

heritage project.More special events to be

organised to encourage all generations to come to the café

Linking with our ‘Grow your own’ project to sell our home grown produce in the café

Helping other schools and communities to develop their own cafes.