‘We need you,’ says South Glos cafe after no one visits

Child’s Play Cafe Thornbury shared a heartfelt message online on the morning of Bonfire Night (Thursday, November 5), saying nobody had dropped by so far that day.

The St Mary Street venue, which offers food and drink as well as children’s play, urged readers to pay a visit, as well as support small independent businesses in the area.

Costa Coffee, TGJones and Holland & Barrett have all announced closures in Thornbury recently, which was described by one Gazette commenter of late as ‘dead’.

“It’s Thursday morning, and so far today, not a single person has walked through our doors,” a spokesperson for Child’s Play Cafe Thornbury posted online around 11am on Thursday.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s disheartening.

“Sometimes, I genuinely sit here and wonder what more we can possibly offer.

“We are constantly trying to improve, introduce new things and give families somewhere welcoming to come, relax, enjoy a coffee and let the little ones play.

“We understand that we aren’t free, but the reality is that we aren’t a charity either.

“We receive no funding.

“We have bills to pay, stock to buy and a business to keep running.”

The family-friendly cafe is a destination particularly suited to children aged one to six, featuring a soft play zone and a roleplay area.

Drinks on offer include barista coffee, teas, hot chocolate, milkshakes and fizzy drinks, while food available includes cakes, doughnuts and children’s snacks.

“Behind Child’s Play Cafe is a lot of hard work, commitment, time and money,” the spokesperson said in their post.

“There are days when I sit here questioning whether I’ve made the right decision, putting absolutely everything into a business I truly believed in.

“But I still believe in it.

“I believe our little cafe has something to offer our community, and I don’t want to give up on that.

“But we need you.

“If you’ve been meaning to pop in, please do.

“If you’ve visited before, come back and see us.

“Even just buying a coffee makes a difference.

“Please support your small, independent local businesses.

“Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far.

“It genuinely means more than you know.”

The Gazette recently reported fears Thornbury could become a ‘ghost town’ had intensified after TGJones announced it would close its store in the High Street.

Holland & Barrett has closed its branch in the St Mary Centre in the town, and Costa Coffee confirmed it would shut in the High Street on Wednesday, October 28.

Maggie Tyrrell, leader of South Gloucestershire Council and also ward member for Thornbury on SGC, previously said: “I was sad to hear TGJones was shutting, but Thornbury is not immune to the national impacts that are being felt by high streets across the country.

“The government needs to do more to level the playing field with the big online giants who frankly are the ones taking the sales from our high streets.

“We’ve always taken a proactive approach to supporting Thornbury High Street and work to support businesses in and around Thornbury.

“SGC uses both our High St team and Cool Ventures to provide advice and training to both established and new businesses.

“The Town Centre Partnership - an organisation made up of SGC, the chamber of commerce, the town council and the St Mary Centre management company - work together to promote Thornbury and make sure vacant shops don’t stay empty for long, and I’m pleased we have welcomed several other national companies in the past few months into the town.

“Thornbury is still a great place to live, work and shop.”

Child’s Play Cafe Thornbury received a large number of comments on its post about having no visitors.

Since then, it has revealed that it has scrapped an admission charge for adults.

Happily, the cafe has also noted that Friday (November 6) was a much better day, with the venue even having to turn people away.

“Just a quick thank-you to everyone for all your support,” a spokesperson said in a post online on Friday.

“Today has been amazing, and I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better day.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who came to visit us today.

“For those we unfortunately couldn’t fit in, I’m so sorry.

“I really hope you’ll come back and see us another day.

“I’ve taken all your feedback, suggestions and recommendations on board.

“Change takes time, and unfortunately, there are some things we simply can’t change, but we will keep doing our best to improve and make Child’s Play Cafe the best it can be.

“Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting us.

“It really does mean so much.”