Unique Wellington community cafe launches fundraiser amid plans to expand

The family behind the Boardroom Gaming Cafe in Wellington are looking to raise £4,000 to create a new space, which will be used to host events, workshops, private functions and support groups. It will partly have a digital focus, with arcade machines and lights to complement other areas, where board games are played.

Jon Drew and his wife, Jenni set the cafe up in New Street 14 months ago with brothers Jacob and Luke. They now feel the time is right to take the next step.

Jon said: "We have created a really community-focused hub where, not only do we provide a safe space for families and friends to play board games, but we also work closely with other groups.

"We work with Telford Mind, local police, and other community groups and charities to provide easier access to support for mental health, emotional health, social, and education support.

"We always wanted to open something up that was beneficial to the community and we have ended up going beyond that, which is great."

The cafe provides a safe, enabling, empowering and welcoming space for people of all ages, genders and abilities to come together with their friends and family or to even access support, and is committed to making a positive difference in the community

A crowdfunding campaign has already raised more than £1,000 to help the expansion.

"We are so excited for the future here at Boardroom," said Jenni. "We have so many up and coming projects and the crowdfunding campaign is essential in helping us create a new space that will allow us to expand our services.

"Our cafe is more than just a place to grab a coffee.

"It's fast becoming a community hub and the fact that we can assist with vital support to those in need. With this new space, we can do even more to help those who need it most."

Jon added: "Community is not just about those who come to see us but the businesses around us as well.

"We try to support other businesses locally and buy as much as we can from them, while working with the likes of The Little Green Pantry.

"We want to create a learning department, doing things in-house but also going out to schools, through our new project ROLL – Roll on Linked Learning.

"We want to, at some point, reach out to care homes and go to them or allow them to visit us.

"We are excited about creating a new event space, which will celebrate the digital age."

To support the crowdfunding visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/boardroomgamingcafe