Swindon hospice cafe 'giving back' with £1 meals for children

Prospect Hospice is offering children meals for £1

A hospice cafe is hoping to attract new customers, while helping families keep costs down during the summer holidays.

Prospect Hospice is offering £1 meals for children with every adult main meal at its Heart of the Hospice cafe in Wroughton.

The charity said people do not usually visit a cafe in a hospice if they do not have a loved one there.

It added that the offer is its way of giving back to "the wonderful people who make our work possible".

Carl Golding, head of catering at Prospect Hospice, said the charity wants to bring families together "for a wonderful meal without breaking the bank".

"This summer offer is our way of saying thank you and giving something back."

The cafe is staffed by volunteers and works with food redistribution charity FareShare, which delivers about 100kg of surplus produce from supermarkets and the catering industry to its kitchen every week.

All the proceeds from the cafe go back into the running of the hospice.

Jo (left) and Izzy Donaldson gave the cafe a try after seeing its deals on social media

Primary school teacher, Jo Donaldson, took her 12-year-old daughter Izzy out for lunch at the cafe after spotting the deal on social media.

The mum-of-two said her family's food bills tend to rise during the holidays.

"(The children) eat us out of house and home, and then they have to go to holiday camps, so keeping them entertained costs money as well."

Ms Donaldson said she had not realised the cafe was open to all and not just those with loved ones at the hospice.

'Pleasantly surprised'

Mr Golding said: "Understanding the hospice environment can be difficult for people that haven't been here before but people are pleasantly surprised when the come to see us."

Once people visit, Mr Golding said they tend to return "time and time again".

The cafe has little control over the supplies delivered, and Mr Golding joked the kitchen can sometimes be a bit like game show "Ready Steady Cook".

But he added: "That's where we thrive and make great food for our customers and our patients."

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