Page 13 - City Life Magazine - Autumn Edition

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BUSINESS SUPPORT

Taking the plunge

in the pandemic

Starting a new business is never easy, and
launching a new café in a pandemic is even
harder – but that’s exactly what Eddie and

Nancy Little Jones did this time last year, when
they opened the Meeting Place in Friar Street.

Eddie says: “It was daunting
and scary, but also exciting and “We’re here to cook as best we can,
exhilarating. We’re very optimistic source the best ingredients we can,
people and we’ve always thought and be warm and welcoming.
hospitality is an incredible industry
because people are always going “Really good quality ingredients are
to want to eat out. You can’t beat key to what we do. We are very local
going into a pub, restaurant or café and source all our vegetables and
and having great food with good meat from Worcestershire, or the
music, nice décor and enthusiastic neighbouring counties when we need
people serving you.” to – our cider is from Herefordshire
and our milk is from a farm just 10
SIMPLE & CLEAR miles away.”
The Worcester-born couple have a
philosophy that’s proving a hit with OUTSIDE SPACE Grant from Worcester City Council,
their customers. Opening during the pandemic they were able to convert the outside
made Eddie and Nancy realise the yard into a seating area, boosting the
“Our mission statement is simple importance of having outdoor space Meeting Place’s seating from 32 to
food, simple coffee. We have very for customers. 48.
clear, simple menu descriptions –
what you order is what you get,” With the help of 12 hours of business Eddie says: “The support from the
explains Eddie. guidance and a Business Start-up City Council was vital because we
could only serve outdoors in the
lockdown, and even now some
people prefer to sit outside. It’s
also a long-term investment, as the
outdoor seating will always give us a
boost in the summer.”

THINKING OF STARTING A
NEW BUSINESS?
Worcester City Council has
grants of up to £1,000 available
to city-based businesses in their
first year of trading. The grant
must be match-funded from your
business’s own resources.

Growth grants of between £1,000
and £3,000 are also available for
businesses that have been trading
for more than a year.

Find out more at www.worcester.
gov.uk/business
Eddie and Nancy Little Jones

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