Fairfield Community Hall really is a buzzing and vibrant place. You only have to look at the calendar on http://www.fairfieldcommunityhall.co.uk to get a feel for just how many activities take place there every week. FM’s George P recently went to meet the Hall’s hugely dedicated and passionate manager, Jessie Sahota, who has worked amazingly hard to make the Hall the success that it is today. In particular, he was there to find out about a rather unique and perhaps little known Fairfield gem – Café in the Park.

There are lots of service providers that use the Hall for a whole range of activities, for example toddler and baby groups, dance, martial arts, yoga and Pilates. These activities are often run by outside organisations who will generally charge the users a commercial rate. Whilst this offers Fairfield residents a super choice of activities, Jessie explained her quest to promote Mondays as the Fairfield ‘Community Day’ – a day focused on local residents. A key element of this is Café in the Park, which runs every Monday from 2pm to 4pm, and is an open-house for anyone and everyone in the community to meet and socialise.

Café in the Park isn’t new – it was extremely popular pre-Covid with a strong weekly attendance. It’s a community café with tea, coffee, cakes and the opportunity to chat – but with some notable differences that you won’t find in other cafés. Firstly, it’s at the heart of the community. Look at a map of Fairfield and your Café in the Park is right in the middle! The second difference is social engagement – Jessie and Hettie, who run Café in the Park together, make a concerted effort to engage with and chat to everyone. There are many people who live alone in Fairfield who might benefit from this weekly social contact with people who are genuinely interested in how they are getting on.

And let’s not forget the third big difference: value. Unlimited tea, coffee and home-made or M&S cakes for a fixed price of just £2. Now that is outstanding value – less than the price of a single cup of coffee on the high street! It’s also a great place for parents to meet for a weekly coffee and catch-up before collecting their children from the school next door.

Fairfield residents Joan and Phil are regulars who visit Café in the Park whenever they can. “We really like it,” Joan explained. “There’s a very friendly bunch here, and we’ve met lots of people. We enjoy playing Rummikub, and there’s also table tennis and indoor bowls sometimes – or you can just sit and have a chat. It really gives us a reason to go out, especially in winter when it’s cold outside. It’s something to look forward to and it keeps us active.” Jessie is really keen to promote Café in the Park, so why not pop in for a coffee and a chat, have a couple of hours respite from your normal routine, meet some new people and, if you fancy it, see if you too get hooked on Rummikub! Warning – it’s very addictive by all accounts.