Café in the Park
The ParkLife Café - July 2011 onwards
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A Community Interest Company (CIC) is a new type of company introduced in 2005, designed for social enterprises that want to use their profits and assets for the public good. CICs have some special features to ensure that they are working for the benefit of the community. |
Updated: 11th July 2012
The Café in St.James' Park is operated by ParkLife, a community interest company established by FoSJP in November 2010 to run the Café and Community Room as a social enterprise.
Any surplus profits made by ParkLife will be given to FoSJP who will use the money to further improve park facilities and services for the community.
The Café replaces the popular volunteer‑run FoSJP Kiosk which operated in the park from 2006 to 2010.
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FoSJP Kiosk, July 2009 |
ParkLife Café, 2011 |
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FoSJP is not directly involved in the running of the Café - any queries should be directed to ParkLife. |
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Visit the ParkLife website to find out more about the ParkLife Café and Community Room. |
The FoSJP Kiosk - August 2006 to September 2010
The Grand Opening of the Kiosk, 9th August 2006
Updated: 3rd September 2011
The FoSJP Kiosk, located in the old ARP Block, was first opened in August 2006. Selling coffee, tea, and snacks, with many fairly traded products, it was run mostly by unpaid volunteers, with some paid help from local students during Summers 2009 and 2010. All profits were ploughed back into Park projects.
After the October 2009 half-term holiday, the Kiosk initially ceased operations, in readiness for the ARP Block to be re-developed as part of the improvements to the Park funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Southampton City Council. These plans included the replacement of the Kiosk by a fully-functioning café with indoor and outdoor seating areas.
However, because of delays in starting the development work, we re-opened the Kiosk during the Easter 2010 holidays and kept it open throughout the summer holidays until just before construction work started on the ARP Block in September 2010. The new ParkLife Café opened in July 2011.
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We'd like to thank the FoSJP Kiosk subcommittee, all the volunteers and workers who helped to run the Kiosk, and all our customers who helped us to keep the Kiosk open and thereby pave the way for the development of the ParkLife Café. |
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