A new joint venture between the Denny Tank Museum and rehabilitation group Alternatives had its grand opening on Saturday.
The Perfect Blend Vintage Tea Room, which will open officially this June, is situated on the ground floor of the Museum on Castle Street. It is the latest joint venture between the Museum, Alternatives Community-based Recovery and the Skylark IX Recovery Project.
The Perfect Blend will serve delicious cream teas and cakes freshly made by Alternatives’ clients mastering bakery skills as part of their recovery programme.
The grand opening of the Perfect Blend, which is named after the partners’ ongoing relationship and the ‘perfect blend’ of tea, coffee and sweet treats served, took place as part of the Skylark IX Recovery Project’s annual Remembrance event.
This year’s theme was a vintage tea party reflecting the wartime service of the Dunkirk ‘Little Ship’ Skylark IX and the opening of the Perfect Blend.
After opening with a piper, visitors got the chance to enjoy singing, dancing, crafting and baking by the Perfect Blend team.
They also had the chance to view a vessel from the Skylark IX Recovery Project’s new fleet of kayaks and skiffs, which the team hopes will inspire a new Dumbarton Rowing Club.
A poignant moment of remembrance and reflection was also held.
David Mann, Director of the Scottish Maritime Museum, said: “We’re delighted to partner with our friends at Alternatives community-based recovery and the Skylark IX Recovery Project on the Perfect Blend Vintage Tea Room.
“As well as a great new added attraction for the Museum and a complement to our own skills training programme, the Perfect Blend brings a fresh and exciting new vintage style tea room to Dumbarton.
“We look forward to welcoming visitors to the Perfect Blend and watching Alternatives’ trainees thrive as they help develop the tearoom over coming months.”
Anne Dyer, Depute Manager at Alternatives added: “We’re grateful to our friends at the Scottish Maritime Museum for giving us the opportunity to open the Perfect Blend.
“All the baking will be done at our Sweet Success training hub and social enterprise. With the increased production, our trainees will gain more experience and, as they grow in confidence, will be able to move on to the Perfect Blend and develop their front of house skills.
“As well as a spot to enjoy the ‘perfect blend’ of tea or coffee and delicious pastries, we also want the Perfect Blend to become a wee heartbeat for the local community, a space where lots of great initiatives happen.
“We’re busy developing exciting ideas to get this going like Cake and Craft stitching sessions, to follow on from the popular Skylark IX Community Tapestry, and Tea and Tour events with the Museum.
“We also hope to include our ‘Skylark IX Voices’ oral history project, bringing local people, in particular friends and relatives of former William Denny and Brothers shipyard workers, together to share memories.”
