Oldham Parish Church expands café service in bid to help bring the community together
Oldham Parish Church is expanding its community café service to Thursdays due to its popularity, aiming to provide more opportunities for locals to connect in a welcoming environment. The church is also seeking volunteers to help run the café, which offers food, drinks, and a space for companionship and support.
Oldham Parish Church has doubled the number of weekly coffee mornings it offers after record attendance at its long-running Wednesday café.
From this week, the Parish Church (OPC) will open its doors every Thursday between 10:30am and 12:30pm as well as on Wednesdays, giving residents an extra chance to meet friends and pick up low-cost refreshments.
The Wednesday sessions, launched several years ago, regularly attract more than 60 visitors and have become a lifeline for people seeking company or practical advice.
Church leaders said the decision to extend the service was a direct response to requests from locals who struggle to attend on Wednesdays because of work, caring duties or other commitments.
The Revd Daniel Burton, Vicar of Oldham Parish Church, said the café embodies the church’s aim to be “a home for everyone in Oldham”.
He added: “Faith or no faith, all are welcome. We simply want to offer warmth, a listening ear and good cake.”
The Revd Hannah Currin, curate at OPC, said the initiative fills a gap left by the closure of the town’s former Salt Cellar Café, once a popular drop-in venue.
“People tell us they miss having a neutral, friendly space where they can sit without pressure to buy expensive food or move on quickly,” she said.
“By opening on Thursdays we hope to provide exactly that - a place where bodies and spirits can be fed.”
Volunteers serve tea, coffee and homemade snacks on a pay-what-you-can basis, with surplus donations ploughed back into ingredients and winter fuel bills.
The church is now appealing for more helpers to join the rota, stressing that tasks range from washing up to simply chatting with guests.
No experience is required and teenagers on community-service schemes are as welcome as retired parishioners.
Matt Ramsbottom, editor of the Oldham Chronicle and a regular worshipper at OPC, praised the expansion.
He said: “The Wednesday café has been a godsend to many, including me. Extending it to Thursdays is brilliant news for the whole town.”
Anyone interested in volunteering is asked to arrive 30 minutes before the start of either session or email the parish office.
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