Much-loved Rose Garden Cafe at Sheffield’s Graves Park set to reopen on Thursday

The cafe closed with only 15 minutes’ notice in July because Sheffield City Council was worried about serious structural issues found in the roof. The cafe will open initially as a takeaway, said the council, after work was undertaken to prop up the structure.

Liz Hnat from the Save the Rose Garden Cafe campaign announced on social media: “Good morning everyone! Let us brighten your Tuesday with the amazing news that the cafe WILL REOPEN THIS THURSDAY AT 9.30am!!

"Don’t be put off by the remaining scaffolding which has been adjusted to allow entrance. It will be a takeaway service with a small seating area, and the building will look very different BUT the amazing staff are there to welcome you with open arms and a bright smile. Please support the cafe by popping along and saying hello.

“Finally, although the fight is not over to save the building, this is a milestone. It’s taken far too long to get here, there’s a question as to whether we even should be here.

“But for now, this is brilliant news and we wouldn’t be here without your support and petition signatures and the amazing work of the people in this campaign group, especially Andy Kershaw who jumped in with two feet and made things happen.”

Andy said: “I’m so proud of what we have achieved on this and to have worked with such an amazing campaign team.

‘Difficult time’

“Once Sheffield Council had come to its senses and worked with us things happened quite quickly but it’s been 148 days since 12 staff lost their livelihood for no good reason.”

The Friends of Graves Park, who have been working alongside the campaign and fundraising to raise money for the renovation of the 95-year-old building, also shared the news on their Facebook page. Protests took place when the cafe closed because of fears that the council would decide to demolish the landmark building, which is a popular meeting place for people and groups.

The council said that, following further survey investigations and construction work to secure the site, the building required significant propping work to allow further surveys and to explore the possibility of reopening. Essential safety and propping work was completed throughout October and November and a range of surveys have also been completed.

Operator Brewkitchen have inspected the building and are confident that they can run the café as a takeaway facility and are now readying the building for reopening, said a council spokeswoman.

The park was given to the city by Alderman JG Graves and the council is the sole trustee of the park charity trust. Coun Bryan Lodge, chair of the council’s charity trustee sub-committee, said: “It’s fantastic news that the Rose Garden Cafe will reopen before Christmas, allowing staff to get back into the cafe and giving people the chance to get a winter warmer and a bite to eat when visiting the park.

“We know this has been a difficult time for everyone affected and it is in no way what we wanted to happen. We regret that the café has been closed for so many weeks, but as the surveys have shown, the building standalone was not structurally sound, and public safety is not a risk we’re willing to take here.

‘Support and determination’

“We’re grateful to Brewkitchen, their staff, the Friends of Group and campaigners for their patience during this process, and for their support and determination to get this community facility back open.”

Simon Webster at Brewkitchen said: “We’re thrilled to be reopening Rose Garden Cafe before the holidays, a time when families and friends enjoy being together. Graves Park is a popular destination at this time of year and we’re working hard to ensure the cafe is welcoming for visitors.

“We’ll be serving a range of hot and cold drinks, cakes, confectionery, breakfast pastries, savoury bakes plus homemade soup, and we’ll add to the menu soon.

“We’ve been blown away by the support we have received and we’re really excited to see the regular faces that we’ve missed so much and serve the community again. The cafe has always been the hub of the park and the support we’ve received has been heartwarming, thank you.”

‘We remain open-minded’

Eight surveys have been completed to assess the whole of the site. The results of these are being considered in detail to determine the viable options for the long-term future of the site, which will go to public consultation.

Coun Lodge added: “We’re now looking in more detail at the survey results to help inform the long-term options for the café building. We remain open-minded to what’s possible and will keep working closely with local interested parties.

“Just as people look back fondly on the times they have spent in the café with their children and grandchildren, we need to make sure that any investment goes into a long-lasting facility that can be enjoyed by families for generations to come.”

More information, including a timeline of associated events, copies of survey results, information about finance and the charitable trust and copies of Freedom of Information requests, can be found on the council’s Rose Garden Café closure webpage.

Consultation with local people and stakeholders will take place once options have been explored further and will be publicised once available for comment, said the council spokeswoman.

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