Lyme Regis post office could become new waffle café

Non-profit organisation Waffle is aiming to bring a new café to the town in the old post office building on Broad Street, but is fundraising £60,000 to buy equipment to start the business.

The former Lyme Regis Post Office could become a new waffle house (Image: Waffle)

The social enterprise currently operates a community waffle café in Axminster and Seaton and is now looking to open in Lyme Regis this summer.

READ MORE: Come together at Axminster's new community waffle house

However, the organisation will need to Crowdfund around £60,000 in order to bring the café to Lyme Regis.

Crowdfunding enables community groups and other not-for-profit organisations like Waffle, including town and parish councils, to raise money all in one place to make their project happen quickly, without having to fill in multiple application forms.

The money is required to buy the equipment for the café, including furniture, a play area, air conditioning, waffle irons, kitchen equipment and crockery, which they estimate at £60,000.

The directors said the money is generated so that the equipment and assets "belong to the community" if the business was ever sold.

The building has been purchased by a couple who wanted to bring the community café to the town.

Waffle operates community-owned spaces which aim to bring people together and form friendships.

Three directors run the organisation; Sophie McLachlan, Timothy Whiteway and Matt Smith, who say they are not interested in making a profit from the cafés they operate.

from left to right: Sophie McLachlan, Timothy Whiteway, Elizabeth, Tony and Matt Smith (Image: Waffle)

Matt Smith, director at Waffle, said: "We didn't set out to create more than one waffle café, we are not entrepreneurs.

"We are three people who love to serve our community.

"We have no desire to make a profit, that is not where our heart is.

"People may not believe that, but we are united by a desire to use money in a new way that isn't just making a profit.

"As part of that, we agreed that we are not paid more than the base salary as directors of the organisation.

"When you put people before profits, you can do something special."

The former post office building on Broad Street was purchased by a couple, Elizabeth and Tony, who contacted the directors after buying the building, with the specific intention of turning it into a new waffle café.

The couple visited the Axminster café a number of times and purchased the building, believing in the project and not intending to make a profit.

Mr Smith said that despite needing £60,000 to bring Waffle Lyme Regis to the town, he is confident about being able to succeed.

He added: "We started with nothing and none of our waffle cafés ever looked possible at any stage.

"We were approached by a couple who bought the building, they came to us and said they wanted it to be a waffle café.

"They visited Waffle in Axminster a number of times and loved it so much that when the opportunity came to buy the post office they contacted us to see if we would set one up if they bought it. 

"They very much believe in the vision of Waffle and have a real heart for community work so are also not interested in making a profit.

"We are grateful to have great partners who we work with.

"We have proved that we can do it, we asked the community for help and it has got us to where we are today."

The Crowdund page for Waffle Lyme Regis can be found at: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/waffle-lyme.