Ashton-on-Ribble cafe running Christmas Eve soup kitchen

A café in Ashton-on-Ribble is opening its doors to the community this Christmas Eve.

Neighbourhood, on Blackpool Road, will run a free soup kitchen between 3 and 4pm, offering soup, tea and coffee in a warm, welcoming space.

The café is working alongside Ashton Food Aid, with donations already including coats, blankets and festive treats.

Neighbourhood opened in July and is owned by local couple Dave Crowther and Charlotte Buchanan.

Charlotte is working with Ruby, who runs Ashton Food Aid. “We had visited the food bank a few times with our children so they could learn what happens there and why. When I got in touch about the soup kitchen, Ruby thought it would be a great idea. She’s currently serving about 70 families per week.

“Ruby has helped to spread the word, and people have been so generous already, donating warm coats and blankets. One person is also dropping off mince pies and a Yule log.”

Charlotte said Neighbourhood has been going well in its first few months.

“We now have quite a few regular customers and we’re continuing to try our best to get the word out about the venue,” she said. “This is probably our biggest challenge, as not everyone is on social media, and we still get people walking past saying they didn’t know we were here.

“However, we’ve hosted some sold-out events, such as our family-friendly bonfire night, where we put on children’s crafts and sparklers, and we’re also running a kids’ Christmas brunch on Monday. Events like these have helped us understand what works well and who our customer base is.”