The Hideout
The Grange Pavilion in Grangetown is home to a community-focused café, The Hideout. The café aims to bring people together over a cuppa. The Hideout team are passionate about community cohesion, breaking down barriers and helping people overcome their life hurdles. The coffee shop provides a complimentary breakfast and allows drinks to be gifted to someone as a way of passing on acts of kindness. We were lucky enough to speak with the co-owner of The Hideout, Zara.
How does your café help build a sense of community?
“We initially started the café in the old pavilion building in 2017. The purpose of The Hideout was for it to be a community-focused coffee shop to bring all walks of life together over a perfect cup of brew. As much as we’re passionate about brewing the perfect coffee and having luscious bakes, our main focus at The Hideout is breaking down barriers and community cohesion.”
Can you tell us how you help those who may have struggled in life?
“With the help of Grange Pavilion, we’ve managed to arrange many activities over the years to help community members. We have provided free breakfast clubs during the winter and half term for local families struggling with the living crisis. We also run a monthly free repair café in partnership with Repair Café Wales. With the help of local volunteers, people can bring in items to be fixed. They do their best to bring the item back to life. Another thing the Hideout is home to is The Culture Café. The café has been the baby of The Hideout since we first opened our doors in 2017. The idea was born from wanting to create a safe space for people from different backgrounds and cultures to come together and discuss various topics about what was bothering us in the world, thus, we have the Culture Café! So far, we’ve touched on discussions about race and equality, AP CYMRU neurodiversity, being ethnic in the community and homelessness. This will start running again in October and is available for anyone to partake in. Our community centre also has a ‘pay with a conscious window’, where members of the community pay it forward for any food/drink item for anyone who may be struggling, left their wallet at home, or just needs a ‘pick me up’. They can choose anything from the sticky notes on the window. We’ve also helped with various charity events, community iftars and Easter celebrations.”
Why did you decide to open your community café?
“We’ve always been passionate about community and involved with Community Gateway since 2017. I’ve always wanted to create a neutral space for everyone to feel welcome and comfortable. I also absolutely love coffee too, so it was a win-win!”
How can people get involved?
“We’re always looking for volunteers, especially for our repair café. We are also looking for organisations to support our café with our ‘pay with a conscious window’ and use the café for classes, events, and groups.”
To get involved, send over an email to Grange Pavillion: admin@grangepavilion.wales
