News

City Gates is set to open a café at its Soho base, the Living Room.

In an exciting new move, the church-run café will be up and running on a trial basis from the end of January.

From Mondays to Fridays, the Living Room café will serve up a diverse selection of hot and cold food and drinks, including speciality Vietnamese coffee and homemade paninis.

This low-cost hospitality venture is part of the church's ongoing outreach to the community in and around the streets of Soho.

It is hoped the café will draw people into the Living Room, while also offering a space for City Gates folk to engage with others – particularly those from outside the church.

'Over recent months we have been thinking about how City Gates can be more effective in reaching out to those who live and work in Soho,' explains the church leadership.

'One of the best ways to do this is to have the Living Room open and staffed all day.'

The daytime café will be run by City Gates interns and volunteers, using catering equipment that is already owned by the church.

Initially it will operate for a three-month pilot period, after which a decision will be taken as to whether it should stay open.

As well as providing a warm and welcoming venue for visitors, the café may help to raise funds to support some of the community-focused projects currenly run by City Gates.