Fresh plans for Melton Country Park’s visitor centre and cafe

The new operators of the cafe at Melton Country Park aim to turn the visitor centre into a busy community resource to be used for a range of different activities.
Volunteer Sue Frost is one of the people running the cafe for Melton Space at the country park EMN-190327-133709001Volunteer Sue Frost is one of the people running the cafe for Melton Space at the country park EMN-190327-133709001
Volunteer Sue Frost is one of the people running the cafe for Melton Space at the country park EMN-190327-133709001

The cafe closed last month when Melton Learning Hub pulled out to focus its resources at its Burton Road base in the town.

But Melton Space - a non-profit organisation made up of people who make and fix items and share ideas and skills - have now taken over a six-month licence to run the cafe and associated rooms at the visitor centre.

The organisation are now opening their workshop rooms and the cafe every Wednesday, Saturday amd Sunday, and bank holiday days, from 10am until 5pm

Volunteers Sue Frost and Chris Richardson are two of the people running the cafe for Melton Space at the country park EMN-190327-133720001Volunteers Sue Frost and Chris Richardson are two of the people running the cafe for Melton Space at the country park EMN-190327-133720001
Volunteers Sue Frost and Chris Richardson are two of the people running the cafe for Melton Space at the country park EMN-190327-133720001

Members say they are delighted to have seen so many local and out-of-town visitors calling in for tea and coffee at the reopened cafe, which the learning hub ran for seven years.

Woody Kitson, chair of Melton Space, said: “This is a unique opportunity for us to grow our workshop activities and put the visitor centre back into the wider community of Melton Mowbray.

“We would like to see the visitor centre return to being a true community resource and are particularly keen to work with a wide variety of local interest groups and organisations to achieve this.”

Future workshop and café sessions planned by Melton Space include a variety of ‘pop-up’ eating events, Sunday afternoon tea, arts and craft workshops (for all ages), an introduction to laser cutting, a number of ‘fix and repair’ open days when anyone can bring along any broken household items which members will try to mend or repair.

The Melton Space cafe is open for business at Melton Country Park EMN-190327-133731001The Melton Space cafe is open for business at Melton Country Park EMN-190327-133731001
The Melton Space cafe is open for business at Melton Country Park EMN-190327-133731001

The group is setting out a number of work stations in the back rooms of the visitor centre where members will have access to a wide variety of equipment and tools, including woodworking machinery and hand tools, an IT workshop, laser cutter, domestic and industrial sewing machines, plus an over-locker, 3D-printer, 3D-router and an electronics work station.

Members can help newcomers learn how to use the tools and how to create, make and repair household goods.

Email [email protected] if your group would like to use the visitor centre for a meeting or event or would like more information about Melton Space.

Email [email protected] to work in the cafe for short voluntary shifts.

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