When Deniece Dixon set up Cafe Conscious with her husband Wayne Dixon in Barton Hill nine years ago, there was no question over the space being more than a regular business. Over the last few years it has transformed into a community cafe that provides support to a diverse range of people.
With the rising cost of living, the Jamaican cafe has seen its overheads rise and the needs of people in Barton Hill grow. Despite the economic uncertainty, Deniece is determined to not only continue to support the local community but expand on the support they currently offer.
For Deniece, helping others is central to who she is as a person - having struggled with poverty for most of her life, she said she cannot sleep at night knowing that others are going hungry. “A lot of what I do stems from when I was a single mum, I had four children and I can remember using up the emergency electric and we were sat in darkness, I had no money.
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“There would be times when I did have money but I couldn’t go to the shops with the kids because they were so young and I was heavily pregnant and it would be peeing down outside or late at night so we would go without electricity. I can remember also me and the kids used to pull out all the cushions on the sofa and pull our hands down to find any change.
“We used to walk for about 45 minutes to buy the really cheap bread and beans, I didn’t even have money to buy butter to put on their toast. My daughter used to have to choose between a present for £10 or a birthday cake because I couldn’t afford both.
“When it comes to this place, sourcing everything for free or second-hand for next to nothing, I’ve got those skills. I hate waste, I’d rather pick up something second-hand or free to the collector or car boot," said Deniece.
In the winter of 2020 when the UK was in lockdown, Deniece teamed up with two other women to make food parcels for the local community in Barton Hill. Although their ‘Sunday Kitchen’ project and the national lockdown has now come to an end, Deniece will be doing the same again this winter, to help those struggling with the rising cost of living.
For the last few years she has opened up her cafe for a weekly coffee morning that supports local elderly residents and those with learning difficulties to meet with support workers from the Key Ring network, to socialise and share skills.
The ‘Coffee Pot’ mornings, which were originally held at St Luke's Church, have now found a permanent home at Cafe Conscious. The cafe provides a lifeline for the group who were unable to continue meeting at the church building because it was too cold during the winter months.
The Key Ring Network, a local charity with limited funds, does not have an office space. Volunteer Anne Mowat-Mulder said that Cafe Conscious, helps us in combating social isolation by offering an opportunity for people to get together.
Amanda Simpson, who attends the group every Wednesday alongside around 20 other adults, all living around Barton Hill, said that after day centres and then the drop in centres closed down or were privatised, there was very little available for adults who needed support to live independently. Alongside the group offering a chance for people to socialise, they can share recipes, get help with shopping and plan group trips.
Charlie Lammar is able to use his IT skills to help others in the group who need support with their online shopping or have problems with their eyesight so need recipes to be typed up in an accessible format. “Sometimes people have technical difficulties and I can help them with their computers or help them buy things online and if I have trouble going on shopping trips, they can help me get out the door,” said Charlie.
Deniece is also on hand to help those who need it. One woman called Barbara, whose Blue Badge was taken away after 20 years, was able to get in back after Deniece helped her with the application.
Rising running costs
But running a community cafe doesn’t come without its costs. Deniece, who runs the community cafe independently, is now faced with “massive overheads” and is doing everything she can to keep the cafe going.
This year will be no different to previous years where she will provide Christmas presents to those who are isolated. The difference is that all her costs are going up and it's becoming increasingly difficult to self-fund the community cafe.
Deniece said: “If we can make a difference for somebody, we can’t sit back. How can you sleep at night knowing that someone’s not having food, they can’t go to the shops, they’re ill and they haven’t got anyone to help them?
“At the same time it’s hard because we don’t get any funding. We have to charge for food and drink as cheaply as possible to make it accessible.
“But the price of everything is going up and it doesn’t balance out. We have to do food parcels again because there’s too many people who can’t afford the basics.
“We have massive overheads here and everything's gone up in price. It’s naturally evolved into a community cafe, it’s what the community wants. I would love this place to be a really busy hub.
“There is a massive need and it would be really nice to team up with other local organisations because we feel here that we’re completely isolated. We talk to people here and see what they need and then we put it in place for them.”
David Mowat, a local musician and community worker who originally set up the Coffee Pot mornings at St Luke's Church, is organising a fundraiser to support Cafe Conscious. David said: “It’s an absolute lifeline and it meets our aim at St Luke's to be out there more in the community, Denice meets us more than half way, she’s a big-hearted practical woman.
“It’s very cold in the winter, they much prefer it here where they’re looked after by a loving hostess. She’s a really good networker.
"She connects with the local school and provides opportunities for the children there. She includes people with learning difficulties and the elderly. For her, a customer is someone with social needs to mix and have fun.
“The thing about Cafe Conscious is that it crosses all the usual political lines between different agencies. Deniece is running a fully-fledged community cafe which isn’t economically so viable but she’s determined to do it and I’m absolutely behind her.
“She’s so inclusive, in the winter she will be preparing food parcels and she has the loyalty and credibility with businesses who donate money. I’ve seen her do quizzes here and provide full meals."
The music fundraiser for Cafe Conscious will be held on December 9 from 7-9pm at St Luke's Church, Church Street, BS5 9FB. Concessions are available on the door.
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