Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust (TCCT) are thrilled to announce that planned refurbishment work on Occombe Farm Café is now underway. Work has begun on an extensive schedule of redecoration and refurbishment of the café. Unfortunately, with contractors operating on site, Occombe Farm will need to remain closed for a little longer until the building work is finished.
Damian Offer, Chief Executive, Torbay Coast & Countryside Trust said:
“We are delighted to be getting on with the refurbishment of the café, which we have been planning since 2017. Although this means that we are unable to reopen this weekend, the enforced closure due to Coronavirus, has given us the opportunity to undertake this major overhaul. We decided it made sense to undertake these building works before re-opening post-lockdown, rather than having to close again later in the year.”
Work on the café started three weeks ago. We are building an extension on the south side, increasing the café’s capacity and expanding floor space, which will help us accommodate customers with canine companions. The kitchen space will be reconfigured to improve efficiency and new toilet facilities are included. Front of house will get a refresh too with new counter and new displays for food and drinks. Initially, the increased floor space will enable us to operate within COVID-19 social distancing guidelines. There will be potential to add more seating when we can return to more normal operations.
It is hoped that all building work will be completed by mid-September and both the café and farm will be able to reopen at the same time.
Sue Gillion, Occombe Farm Café Manager, said:
“We anticipate that a lot of our regular visitors will be disappointed that we will be closed over the summer holidays but we can’t wait to see everyone again when we re-open in September. We’ll have some new menu options but all the Occombe favourites will feature too”.
Occombe Farm was originally set up to provide a base for TCCT’s farming operation. In 2005, the farm shop and café were added to provide a local food hub and generate revenue to fund our charitable work caring for Torbay’s natural heritage. All the profits from Occombe Farm Café go towards the Trust’s work across Torbay including keeping footpaths open for all, looking after the stunning gardens and parkland at Cockington, safeguarding the National Nature Reserve at Berry Head and caring for many other special places. Every penny you spend helps TCCT to care for and protect all of these lovely places.
