News / Cafes
New cafe opens to revitalise social club
A new cafe has opened to breathe fresh life into a long-running social club.
Novers Cafe in the Novers Park Community and Social Club is hoped will bring more people to the venue in Knowle West.
Local resident Claire John says she was offered the chance to run the kitchen in the club as a cafe after coming up one night to watch the football.
is needed now More than ever
“I said I’d love to give it a go to open it up for the locals,” she said.
“We know Knowle [West] is not full of money, so this is why we’re trying to keep it cheap and cheerful.
“I’ve been coming in this club since I was little, and we did stop using it, but now it has been brought back to life.”
Knowle West resident Claire John jumped at the chance to open a cafe in the Novers Park Community and Social Club. Photo by Charlie Watts
Ian Vowles, the club secretary, says they used lockdown as an opportunity to revamp and renovate the community facility; giving it new flooring and a fresh lick of paint.
“As far as the cafe goes, it’s absolutely brilliant,” he said.
“I’m all for it because the club’s been here coming up 60 years.
“All I need now is the support of the community and for people to come in and use it.”
Knowle West resident Sandra Froom, who has been using the club “since she was knee-high”, thinks the addition of the cafe is “fantastic”. Photo by Charlie Watts
The club in Novers Park Road is behind Knowle West Media Centre in Leinster Avenue and near Knowle West Nursery School.
Local resident Sandra Froom says she has been using the club “since she was knee-high” and that her grandad helped build it.
“I reckon it’s a fantastic idea, I really do,” she said of the new cafe.
“We’ve needed it because we get a lot of old age pensioners coming in and they love their dinners.
“And the food is amazing.”
Novers Park Community and Social Club in Novers Park Road will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2022. Photo by Charlie Watts
The cafe’s opening times are currently being trialled: it is open to the public from 9-11.30am on Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 9am “until it gets quiet” on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a pilot project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo by Charlie Watts
Read more: Cafe opens in one of Bristol’s most historic buildings
Listen to the latest episode of the Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
