A NEW café based in the heart of a Worcester housing estate has opened and is ready to serve the local community.

But DG Den is more than just a place for a cup of coffee and cake – it’s a community facility which aims to provide a diverse range of services for the residents of Dines Green.

Run by Worcester Community Trust, it has been two years in the making and occupies a shop unit owned by Fortis living Housing Association next to the Green Centre off Gresham Road.

The brand new facility aims to provide a place for families and individuals of all ages to socialise, get involved in a number of courses and activities and take advantage of initiatives like the children’s clothing (supported by Nexus Housing Association) and toy exchanges.

The venue is also available to hire in the afternoons and evenings for meetings, training courses and cookery sessions. The café has a huge kitchen specially designed for catering and training.

The trust’s community co-ordinator Sarah Turner explained the charity staged a teddy bears picnic event at the Green Centre last year and asked people what was missing in Dines Green and what they wanted.

“The message that came back was they wanted things for families. There was a gap for the mums and children. We are open to everybody but it is geared up for children,” said Sarah.

The bright and welcoming café is currently open from 9am to 1pm from Monday to Friday each week and is run by Sarah and four regular volunteers. She said for some volunteers it is a chance to learn new skills and gain experience of working in a café, using the till and customer service.

The trust has secured the premises at a peppercorn rent from Fortis Living while much of the equipment and fittings have either been donated by local people or from a number of organisations including the Saintbury Trust, the Edward Cadbury Charitable Trust, the Worcestershire-based RD Turner Trust, Councillor Richard Udall and Fortis Living.

Helen Scarrett, chief executive of the community trust, said: “This is part of the Dines regeneration programme. It is a community facility based around a café and it will expand into whatever is needed. We hope to use it for youth sessions.”

At the moment DG Den is used as a café and offers courses on learning to use a computer; sessions on energy advice; a children’s clothing exchange where people can bring three items of clothing and swap them for clothes at the cafe – or they can donate 50p for an item of children’s clothing; a toy exchange; craft sessions; community help, advice and support; job club to help writing a CV and searching for jobs and cookery classes when there are enough students to put on classes.

Sarah said the most popular activities are the craft sessions where people can come along and learn to make inexpensive cards and gifts with the sort of things they would have lying around their own homes.

“We make cards and gifts using things you have got at home. It does not have to be flashy or expensive.”

Helen added: “The facility is for the community and it will only work if the community use it and tell us what they want. It is a great facility and a great opportunity.”

She said the trust would probably link up with the Heart of Worcestershire College in the future to provide courses local people are interested in attending.

“We work very closely with the college on adult education classes. With the cookery courses it is not just about learning to cook but it is also about healthy eating.”

Dines Green resident Lorna Wetton, who lives nearby, takes her children to the centre and meets up with other mums and their youngsters. She is also a volunteer at the café.

“It is a very good idea – particularly in this area because a lot of people cannot afford the bus fare to go to St John’s and have not got the time,” she said, pointing out that anyone with a child at nursery would find it difficult to go into St John’s on the bus, meet their friends in a café and get back in time to collect their child.

“Here is it somewhere safe, there is the Green Centre nearby and the park with things for the children to do. The activities they have for the children here are really good and they keep them occupied.”

She said her children love going to the café and she volunteers because she wanted to do something in the community.

Another resident Anne Myatt, who takes her three-year-old daughter Lily-Anne and 15-month-old son Elijah to DG Den said: “It is brilliant. This is really needed. During half term a lot of things are laid on for the over fives but not so much for the under fives. My children love coming here.”

The Worcester Community Trust is trying to encourage more people to go along to see what the café has to offer, join in activities already organised and also tell it what they want there.

It also needs more volunteers to help run it and people can offer as much or as little time as they want, said Sarah.

Anyone wanting more information about the DG Den or interested in volunteering can contact Sarah Turner by emailing saraht@worcestercommunitytrust.org.uk or phoning her on 0758 333 0514.

Helen said “We are delighted that DG Den is now open. It is a fabulous place in the centre of Dines Green and it will be at the heart of our community activities locally. We welcome everyone to join us in the Den.”

• Worcester Community Trust is a registered charity that puts community at the forefront of the development of new and existing services, enabling everyone from across the whole city to get involved. It manages seven community centres in Worcester, providing space and facilities for community use and activities and services for children, young people and the wider community. It is constantly exploring new and innovative ways of involving city communities in developing new activities and services.