An "outstanding" cafe that provided a lifeline to vulnerable people during the Covid pandemic has been forced to close after going into liquidation. Carriages Cafe was loved by customers for its breakfasts and afternoon tea served in a nostalgic steam punk setting.
Even before the lockdowns of 2020, it did its bit by running a regular community cafe providing a three-course meal for just £3 for those who were most at need. But it become a tour de force during the pandemic, providing hundreds of two-course meals to make sure the most vulnerable and isolated didn't go hungry during the crisis.
The cafe opened in 2017 after a £500,000 makeover of a former Victorian ticket office and waiting rooms on the platform of Newark Castle railway station. The building, which had been a wine bar, was in a state of disrepair but it was brought back to life with Wendy Baird and her daughter Abigail at the helm.
