Salford Community Centre reopens as a 1940s style cafe

The Salford Veterans Community Centre has reopened as a 1940s cafe serving breakfasts this winter.

The centre aims to provide a space in which both veterans and the community can come together to access support and combat loneliness.

Breakfast and lunch are served in the 1940s style café which instantly takes you back to the wartime era with its classic memorabilia on display. The cafe is also dog-friendly with its regular visitor, Scruff.

The centre was founded by Carl Blower and is run with the help of volunteers such as Vinnie Nield.

Vinnie, who has volunteered for many years across a number of projects in Salford, said: “I’m just helping out to get this up and running.

“It’s all voluntary and the money from the café goes back into developing the centre.”

Vinnie also said they had received lots of donations from local people such as the coffee machine, table decorations and the knitted poppy dress in the window display.

There are plans for a second stage of the redevelopment which involves turning upstairs into a larger community hub, with a counselling room, function room and ‘Sir Captain Tom’s Tool Shed.’

Volunteers at the cafe. Image Credit: Maisy Hall

With 16,000 veterans living in Salford, often with little access to support, centres like these are essential for maintaining well-being and a sense of community.

Mr Wickham, 84, served in the army at age 16 in 1954 and is a regular at the café along with his wife, Mrs Wickham. They said: “It’s a very sociable place, very handy for me as I only live round the corner.

“You can meet all your old army friends. If I need help with my health or anything like that, I can get help here and the food is gorgeous.”

Mr and Mrs Wickham. Image Credit: Maisy Hall

The centre also includes a warm hub to support people in the colder months who may be struggling with the increase in energy prices. Vinnie explained: “The area down the bottom is to keep people warm, if they’ve got no money it doesn’t matter they’ll still get a cup of tea.”

The centre is open Monday to Saturday from 9am- 4pm, located at 15 The Mall, Eccles shopping centre.
Donations to the centre are also welcome here.