Groups sign lease for country park visitor centre and cafe for five years

Melton Country Park cafe and visitor centre

Three popular community groups have signed up to occupy the Melton Country Park visitor centre and cafe for the next five years.

Melton Borough Council has confirmed that Welly's Work Place (with Sunny Skies Enterprise C.I.C), Melton Space and Access All Areas will all be based at the Wymondham Way venue until at least the end of 2027.

The centre has undergone a regular change of leaseholders over recent years but the new arrangement gives stability to a building which is used by the thousands of park users every year.

Commenting on the three groups signing the lease, a spokesperson for Melton Borough Council told the Melton Times: “The work they do for our community is incredible, not only in the services they provide to customers but the opportunities they give to their volunteers and employees.

Two members of staff from Welly's Workplace who serve at the country park cafe

"We are glad that locals and visitors alike will be able to continue enjoying these services at the Country Park for years to come.”

Regular visitors will be aware of the excellent service given at the cafe by Welly’s Work Place, which gives working opportunities to people with learning disabilities.

The organisation set up Sunny Skies Enterprise as a Community Interest Company (CIC) to enable them to operate at the centre.

"Creating opportunities such as catering, event planning, horticulture and customer services, the visitor centre café has been a pivotal part of the visitor experience at Melton Country Park since Sunny Skies Enterprise CIC took over the helm and the security of this lease will allow them to continue to flourish in their work,” the spokesperson added.

The team at the crisis cafe at Melton Country Park visitor centre

The cafe and visitor centre are open during the day and there are toilet facilities there too.

Melton Space is a non-profit, shared community workshop and space for use by people and local groups to make, fix, meet and to share resources, ideas, tools and materials.

The workshops are open seven days a week at the visitor centre, for individual projects or group activities such as woodwork, metalwork, laser cutting, 3D printing, arts, crafts and electronics.

Memberships are available from £1 a month and they hold open days on Wednesday afternoons for those wanting to find out more.

The then Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and Melton MP Alicia Kearns pictured on a visit to the country park cafe earlier this year where they learned more about the work of Welly's Workplace

Explaining more about the third organisation taking up the lease, the council spokesperson continued: “Access All Areas supports the community with employment, career and welfare guidance, helping individuals towards independence.

"They will continue to be able to use the space to be able to support their service users and continue to hold workshops in the space."

Sunny Skies Enterprise CIC, on behalf of the NHS, also host Melton Crisis Café at the visitors centre and café, offering immediate support locally for people with mental health needs.

The crisis café, which has already supported a number of local people, operates on a drop-in basis is open 7pm to 9pm on Mondays, 2pm to 10pm on Wednesdays and 6pm to 10pm on Fridays.

To find out more about all three groups, visit their websites:

Welly’s Work Place with Sunny Skies: www.wellysworkplace.com

Melton Space: www.Meltonspace.org.uk

Access All Areas: www.accessaa.info