Wednesday 25th July 2012 saw the official opening of Fred & Molly’s Café in John Whitehead Park, Billingham; this was a brilliant start to the many activities set to run throughout the summer break as part of the Event’s Academy programme.
Executive Officer (Billingham Town Council) Dianne Rickaby said “We are absolutely delighted to be able to get this facility back up and running. Since its closure in 2010, the Town Council has been looking at ways of being able to bring the cafe ‘back to life’, we’re excited that we have been given the opportunity to provide a much needed facility for the residents of Billingham. We look forward to working with BCT Aspire in offering both a cafe and hub for our community, bringing activities for youngsters with lots of fun times over the summer break”.
Paul Burgum- “We all know that it is an incredibly tough time at the moment and especially for young people & children. We hope in our small way to play a part in improving the lives of local people and improving our community longer term. We are extremely thankful to both Billingham & Stockton Council’s for this opportunity. The café will be a place full of atmosphere and where everybody is always welcome”.
The opening commenced at 5:30pm with live music from members of BCT Aspire’s very own Music Programme, including great covers such as ‘Love Machine’ and ‘Can’t Stop’. Various members of Billingham Town Council were present to mark the importance of the occasion, including Chris Bieda (Chairman) who spoke about the significance of the cafés opening and gave thanks for the hard work carried out by the staff involved. This was soon followed by heart-warming words from BCT Aspire’s Managing Director Paul Burgum, who explained what the Billingham community means to him and BCT Aspire as a whole. This was reflected in the phrase “It’s not the buildings that make the town, but the people in it” which the crowd immediately responded to with a great round of applause. The Café itself is named after Paul’s grandparents, as he emotionally expressed how they were the foundation of his inspiration and determination to build BCT Aspire CIC into what it is today.
Many members of the local public came along to celebrate the opening and were thoroughly impressed with the new look café and the opportunities for community engagement. This proved to be a promising start for the weeks to come, in which there are many more fantastic events and activities taking place for the public to get involved in.
For more information go to:
http://www.bctaspire.org.uk/ or http://www.billinghamtowncouncil.co.uk/
