Shrewsbury cafe declines offers to save it from closure

Nerdy Coffee Shop opened in Shrewsbury in 2019 as a board games cafe

A coffee shop has turned down offers from customers to help save it, saying it wouldn't be "fair" to "burden" people with their "soaring costs".

Nerdy Coffee Shop in Shrewsbury announced it would cease trading due to rising energy bills.

Within days its post on Facebook was inundated with support from people offering to contribute towards the cost of keeping the cafe open.

Staff said they were "blown away" by the reaction but would shut regardless.

The shop opened in 2019 and claimed to be Shrewsbury's first board games cafe.

The owners decided to close when they were told their energy bill would more than double in the future, describing it as an "incredibly difficult decision".

In a Facebook post on Friday, they added it was "somewhat anti-climatic" that an electricity bill marked the end for them, having survived flooding and the pandemic.

The post drew more than 190 comments that praised staff as "incredible" and described the venue as a "safe space" in the community.

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Several suggested crowdfunding or other means of financial support but, in their follow-up post, staff said it was not something they were considering.

They wrote: "The team have been blown away by the sheer amount of affection you have for Nerdy.

"It wouldn't be fair to the community to ask them to invest into something that is facing soaring operational costs. We love you guys too much to burden you with that."

Instead, supporters were urged come and have a drink and help the cafe celebrate once a date for closure was confirmed.