Kirkcaldy community centre's £1 cafe helps to break social isolation barriers

Hayfield Community Centre is helping those most affected by loneliness and isolation in the community by offering people in Kirkcaldy fresh home cooked meals for only £1 with kids eating for free.

Cafe @ Hayfield, which first opened its doors in February in the town’s Hayfield Road, hosts sit down meals in the centre weekly from 12:00 – 2:00pm.

The new cafe offers people of all ages the opportunity to come along for a light lunch, a chat, and to make new friends, with the choice of either sitting in or a takeaway.

Diners can also tuck into a third course for only 50p extra!

Sue Carey, office manager at the centre, said: “We started the cafe about six weeks ago now and people can come and have a chat, meet their neighbours, it’s open to all ages and everyone is welcome.

"We recently received an award recognising the centre and its staff of volunteers for the work that we do and have done during COVID which has helped so many people in the community.

“A lot of people have been socially-isolated for the past two years and now that they can get out to come to the centre, even for a bite to eat and a chat, really helps them.”

Sue said that the centre’s core of dedicated volunteers enables them to help the maximum number of people in the community.

"They come from all different backgrounds. Without them we couldn’t do what we do,” she said. “They give up their time, they’re very helpful, approachable, and very friendly.

“The cafe has been very well received by people who are suffering from social-isolation, its going really well and we’ll keep on going as long as we can.”

Sue added: “We’re very grateful for all of the support from from local people as well as businesses who have support us, especially Lauder Road Co-op and Graham Construction who are building the Fife Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Victoria Hospital – in a nutshell we couldn’t deliver the cafe without them all.”

For further information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/HayfieldCommunity.

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