Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership (TVCRP) have opened a café in the newly re-furbished Water Tower at Haltwhistle Station. Grants from the rail industry, including CrossCountry, have helped to re-furbish and equip the building ready for the community to use.
Painted in heritage red and cream, the new café adds to the character of the station, complimenting the work undertaken on the waiting room buildings to create four studio units for rent. Although it took time to get the building up to standard for a modern café, the patience paid off as the team uncovered and restored an original fireplace which now takes centre stage in the cafe.
Through opening the café, Tyne Valley CRP has created two new part time jobs to enable it to open 10 – 4pm on Wednesdays through to Sunday. Local suppliers are being sourced to support the local economy.
A ‘soft’ opening took place over Heritage Open Days in mid-September, with the many visitors delighted by the quality of the coffee and food offer. There are 16 seats inside, and an outside area more than doubles that.
Follow updates from the Water Tower café at:
https://www.facebook.com/WaterTowerHaltwhistle
