Spring opening for King's Field café

8.33.06pm GMT Sun 23rd Mar 2008

• A DISUSED pavilion converted into a youth and community café in King's Field, Hampton Wick, opens its doors to the public on March 29.

In a partnership project between Richmond Council and Richmond Youth Partnership (RYP), the converted building will provide a community facility, with a special focus on young people and the popular skate park nearby. It features an outside seating area and an additional room for community use. Under the partnership agreement, RYP will manage the café and provide a qualified youth worker based on site. Young people were instrumental in the development, raising some of the funds for the refurbishment and joining the steering group.

Cllr John Coombs, Cabinet Member for Youth, Culture and Leisure on Richmond Council, said: "While the café is a superb new hub for the whole community, I am delighted that young people using the popular skate park will now have a safe and inviting place to socialise. The project underlines the Council's commitment to provide more facilities for young people locally - one of our major priorities. I'm also extremely pleased that we are working in partnership to achieve this, drawing on the experience and expertise of RYP, which has an excellent record of delivering services for the borough's young people."