Volunteers launch Arabian Twilight Cafe in Heaton Norris

After recognising the need to extend support to the many multi-cultural residents from the Heaton Norris and Lancashire Hill areas of Stockport, volunteers Rand, Alaa, Bushera, Madhia and Safaa have launched the Arabian Twilight Cafe every Friday evening 4pm – 7pm from Heaton Norris Community Centre.

A weekly group for people from black, minority and other ethnic backgrounds to meet on a regular basis, share experiences and meet new people whilst practicing conversational English was originally established in 2018.

This soon led to a weekly English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and Citizenship session that continues to run each Monday, supporting people with education, employment, training and welfare issues along with encouraging people to become active members of the community.

For the past two years, regular discussions have taken place each week to offer families in the area a multicultural cuisine at Heaton Norris Community Centre in the form of a community cafe, led by volunteers.

Unfortunately, Covid arrived and plans were parked until October 2021 when the community organised their biggest black history month event to date with over 150 in attendance throughout the event – reminding the group of the need for a community kitchen serving culturally appropriate food.

In august 2021 Afghan Evacuees come into Stockport and one of their unmet needs is appropriate food or access to food on a budget. Food is also a great way of coming together to meet new people, share common interests and remove barriers… everybody loves food!

So volunteers Rand, Alaa, Bushera, Madhia and Safaa from the weekly ESOL group – who all want to give something back to their community through the things they love the most, FOOD, came forward to coordinate Arabian Twilight Cafe every Friday evening 4pm – 7pm from Heaton Norris Community Centre. The local women from Heaton Norris and Lancashire Hill have been attending the groups since 2018 and have recently up-skilled themselves, completing courses in emergency first aid, food hygiene and an introduction to community work. They are a fantastic edition to the team.

They cannot wait to welcome local people to come and try the amazing dishes like dolma, falafel, curry, kabuli rice and much more. All dishes  will be made with fresh ingredients and a lot of love.

If you are interested in finding out more about the cafe please contact Heatonshncc@gmail.com