AN ABERGAVENNY cafe is looking as good as new after a pair of "hero" glaziers stepped up to fix damage caused by vandals.
The outdoor seating area of Cwtch cafe, on Cross Street, was vandalised just days after coronavirus restrictions relaxed meaning it could finally reopen.
Owner Joanne Nicholson had commissioned a number of seating pods for the area outside her cafe in order to keep the business running while complying with the coronavirus regulations.
Cwtch cafe opened for outdoor service last Monday.
However, less than a week later the Perspex window on one of the pods had been smashed in.
The damage at Cwtch Cafe in Abergavenny
The damage at Cwtch Cafe in Abergavenny
Help was quickly at hand though, with Luke Gyomrey, owner of Speculo Glass and Glazing, and Sean Thomas offered to replace the panel for free.
In a matter of hours the pod was repaired, with Ms Nicholson branding the pair her heroes.
"After waking up on Monday morning after an amazing first week back, to see the pod was smashed, I really thought what’s the point," she said.
"It really upset me to see that someone could be so mindless and do this after such an awful year already.
Luke Gyomrey, owner of Speculo Glass and Glazing, and Sean Thomas
"Then I received a private message from Luke saying he wanted to replace it free of charge for me.
"I insisted that I would pay but he wouldn’t accept it.
"It really made me restore my faith in humanity."
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A local of the town himself, Mr Gyomrey said that he was obliged to help another resident if they were in need.
"I just thought it was a horrible thing to do," he said.
"People are going through enough as it is without that kind of thing.
"It puts even more financial strain on a business."
Such community spirit was, Ms Nicholson said, what made Abergavenny an "amazing town".
"That’s why I moved here 10 years ago," she said.
Joanne Nicholson, owner of Cwtch cafe in Abergavenny
"They are the heroes of Abergavenny. I thank them both from the bottom of my heart."
She added that she has now also been contacted by someone offering to replace the 'Cwtch' decal on the panel for free.
"How nice is that?" she said.
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