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<\/p>\nA pop-up caf\u00e9 that is a lifeline to local people in Canterbury has had a boost after being awarded funds raised through The Health Lottery.<\/p>\n
Route 23, based in Spring Lane Neighbourhood Centre, is run by the charity Time Out and it\u2019s become a place where people can drop in for coffee and cake or bring their children and grandchildren to a Park and Play session. Everyone gets a warm welcome from the friendly staff and volunteers \u2013 and while the chocolate brownies are the best in town, the chat is even better.<\/p>\n
\u201cTime Out creates places where people can meet and form communities \u2013 especially on estates, where people could feel quite isolated,\u201d says project manager Ellie Overton. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea for a caf\u00e9 started six years ago \u2013 because the local group was thriving and we thought: \u2018Wouldn\u2019t it be amazing if this wasn\u2019t just for an hour, and we could pay local people to run it?\u2019 People\u2019s Health Trust supported us right from the beginning with a grant, using money raised through The Health Lottery.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Want to raise money to help your local community and be in with a chance to win a big jackpot? Why not play The Health Lottery? There are five chances to win \u00a325,000 in the Tuesday to Saturday draws, with an additional free \u00a3100,000 jackpot every Wednesday and Saturday. <\/p>\n
Every week there are 30,000 winners, with over \u00a31.3 million in jackpots to be won each month. And each time you play, you\u2019re helping to raise money to support projects at the heart of communities. <\/p>\n
Tickets cost just \u00a31, and you can buy them online, in-store or on your mobile.<\/p>\n
T&Cs apply. 18+. BeGambleAware. Excludes NI. THL manages 12 regional lotteries in rotation across GB.<\/b><\/p>\n
Money raised through The Health Lottery supports 3,200 projects throughout Britain, and each time you buy a ticket you\u2019re helping to raise funds for good causes just like Route 23. A whopping \u00a3120million has been raised so far \u2013 and \u00a3157million won by ticketholders.<\/p>\n
With Route 23\u2019s affordable menu of a legendary fry-up, a different hot meal every day, and sweet treats, it\u2019s a popular spot. But it also offers a connection and company for anyone feeling isolated, from young mums to pensioners. <\/p>\n
During lockdown, volunteers were able to put on Zoom-based events such as an online Christmas party, and kept in touch by texting and sending cards to their regular customers. Now they\u2019re delighted to be back in business and launching new initiatives such as a baby group for people who became parents during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been lovely to be back together,\u201d says Ellie. \u201cEveryone knows each other\u2019s names and we know when to expect people. Some of the volunteers and staff walked in and said: \u2019I feel like I\u2019m back at home.\u2019\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t exist without this funding. Part of making the food more affordable means we\u2019re not making a profit. All the staff salaries are funded by this and it means a lot. Two of them had never had a job before they started working at the caf\u00e9, but they\u2019ve discovered skills they didn\u2019t know they had.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Ellie is well aware that customers have a choice of caf\u00e9s, so she and the team have worked hard to make Route 23 special. \u201cIf you want to go to a caf\u00e9, you can go to the High Street,\u201d she says. \u201cBut in an area with more socio-economic difficulties, people might not be able to afford it. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe also have some people with large wheelchairs who couldn\u2019t fit into some caf\u00e9s and now they come really regularly. It\u2019s so nice we can be a place where everyone comes and feels welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRoute 23 is a lovely place to go for a coffee and a piece of cake,\u201d says customer Lyn Littlefield.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was looking after my little grandsons, I used to take them along on a Tuesday morning. My husband\u2019s a big fan of their fry-up! While we had a nice breakfast, the boys could play and it was an altogether enjoyable way of spending a couple of hours. In fact, sometimes we had such a good time we\u2019d go home and come back again for tea.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a grandma, I felt other groups in the area were for young mums, quite rightly, but I fitted in at Route 23. It\u2019s a mixture of generations and backgrounds: you have your mums with babies, and retired people like me. They see you as part of the family and it\u2019s a really lovely atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sign up and play at healthlottery.co.uk<\/b><\/p>\n
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