More than 1,000 cups of coffee, six hundred pots of tea, 500 breakfast buns and countless slices of homemade cake have been served in a community-run shop, café and heritage centre in its first month.
When Cotherstone in Teesdale lost its shop and post office, residents took matters into their own hands, transforming the village’s former Methodist Chapel into a place where locals and visitors can shop, socialise and celebrate the area’s heritage.
The Old Chapel opened in June, following years of hard work and fundraising by the community, which raised an impressive £120,000 towards the project. This was boosted by a £120,000 grant from Durham County Council’s Towns and Villages Community Resilience Fund; £40,000 from Teesdale Area Action Partnership’s Towns and Villages Fund; and a total of £20,000 from Cllr Richard Bell and Cllr Ted Henderson’s neighbourhood budgets.
This week, Cllr James Rowlandson, the council’s Cabinet member for resources, investment and assets, joined Cllr Bell and Cllr Henderson on a tour of the building, which now includes a café and shop selling a range of household and kitchen essentials.
The councillors also learned about the positive difference the venue is making, including:
• Providing employment to 12 people, the majority of which live in the
Cotherstone area.
• Serving more than 2,500 customers.
• Raising £300 for local causes by selling ice creams at Cotherstone
Fun Weekend.
• Providing more than 200 hours of volunteering opportunities.
To find out more about Durham County Council’s Towns and Villages Programme, visit www.durham.gov.uk/townsandvillages
For more information about the council’s 14 Area Action Partnerships, visit www.durham.gov.uk/AAPs
And to find out more about The Old Chapel, visit www.theoldchapel.info
