A CAFE is set to open at Coalshaw Green Park in Chadderton this May.

Anna Kennedy from WIFI Kitchen is taking over the park’s currently unoccupied cafe and plans to host a range of activities at the park for the Queen’s Jubilee.

Anna, who has been working with families in Oldham for 18 years, is already firmly established in the Oldham community due to her participation in The Big Lunch, as well as projects like The Hope Programme which shows families how to prepare healthy meals quickly.

The park’s new cafe will not only be serving a variety of hot and cold drinks and meals but will also have a growing hub where residents can get involved in the growing and cooking process.

It’s hoped the project will help to educate families about fresh, seasonal, and local produce.

Anna said: “I want to create a safe space for the whole community to have access to.

“WIFI stands for Wellbeing Improvement Fitness Initiative, and I want the cafe to embody this ethos.

“Getting children involved in the growing and cooking of the food will be a huge part of the cafe plans and we’ll give out free meals to any child who helps out."

The Oldham Times:

Anna Kennedy and Cllr Shah.

Cllr Graham Shuttleworth, who handed the lease of the unoccupied cafe to Anna alongside Oldham Council leader Arooj Shah, said: “We know the importance of having a cafe in the park and we’re excited to watch Anna’s plans take shape.

“The cafe will serve the whole community in a variety of ways and will help to promote healthy eating and sustainability.

“The key is making it a space everyone can tap into.”

Cllr Arooj Shah said: “Now Covid restrictions are starting to ease we need to concentrate on connecting families in a variety of positive ways.

“By engaging in fun and healthy family activities that promote wellbeing in our public spaces we believe it’s makes it easier for families to access them”

The park cafe will be open by mid-May.