Fairplay: Chesterfield charity for children and young people with learning difficulties transforms fortune of Monkey Park Community Café

Fairplay has now become the main operators of the Monkey Park Community Cafe on Chester Street, where staff members and the users of its services are serving coffees, cakes and meals to the public.

The café is also operating as a site for local artisans to sell jewellery, art, jams and everything in between and as a community space for reading, crochet, cooking and writing groups to meet. There are also plans to establish the spot as a place for the families and carers of those with disabilities to access support and information.

The community café was opened in 2016 as a place for the locals of Brampton to meet but difficulties faced in light of the Covid pandemic led to the operators – the Monkey Park Community Hub - to search for a collaborator.

They had the perfect suitor just a five minute walk away in the form of the staff and young people of Fairplay; allowing an already established community-focused charity to expand its reach while giving its members a chance to gain valuable work experience.

The café co-ordinator is Emily Anderson, who had been working at Fairplay as a team member for three years before the charity took over the café a month ago.

She said: “I always wanted to start a cooking group because I love baking and making food so this is my dream job now - working with the young people and running the café.”

Emily added there was a slow uptake of customers since Fairplay took the reins but that it has “really picked up these last few weeks”.

All of the food is made in-house and on our visit on a Thursday afternoon we were treated to a gorgeous cheese and chive scone and delightful slice of pink lemonade cake.

There was also a wider selection of brownies, cakes and treats on offer, prepared and served by staff and volunteers including Abigail Brummitt, 22.

Abigail, sporting a Green Day t-shirt while tending to customers, said that her favourite aspects of the work were making food, being “helpful” and looking after the children that come for the play groups.

Christopher Rhodes, another volunteer, was also hard at work at creating a friendly atmosphere and was praised for his table cleaning abilities.

Emily, added that they hope to introduce a full lunch menu in the coming months that would feature quiches, soups and daily specials.

She said: “Our aim is to create a warm and welcoming space for the community to enjoy and to expand the services we offer in a holistic and positive way.”

Plans to establish a biweekly drop-in group, as part of an initiative to support neurodivergent young people and their families is being spearheaded by staff member Becky Hague who said: “It will be a space where people can pop in to talk about what is available for them.”

Fairplay was established in Chesterfield in 1992 as a charity to support children with additional needs such as autism, ADHD, Down’s Syndrome and complex health care needs. Since the management was taken over by Heather Fawbert 28 years ago, it has expanded to cater for young people up to the age of 25 and has established its hub on Alexandra Road West.

Dates and times the café is open – Wednesday 10-4pm, Thursday 12-4pm, Friday 12-4pm.