A POPULAR Tutshill cafe, which closed down during the coronavirus pandemic, has been officially reopened at its new Chepstow site by a celebrity guest.
Toast@Upcycle, a collaborative project between Monmouthshire Upcycle and the cafe Toast, was opened on Thursday by comedian Miles Jupp.
Mr Jupp has been a long-term supporter of Upcycle, having donated large amounts of furniture to the charity and also opening the Eco Refill shop in 2018.
A crowd gathered in the outside seating area of the new coffee shop to watch the ribbon cutting.
Mr Jupp stayed to chat with customers, staff and volunteers at the charity and enjoyed a complimentary cappuccino.
The upcycle centre now boasts a coffee shop and the new book section which has made its home in the new warehouse underneath the Kids Upcycle section.
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Isla Arendell, the manager of Toast, said: "We had a wonderful day. Thanks to everyone who came to visit.
"There was a real buzz and it was so lovely to hear everyone saying how they felt the old Toast welcome was still in abundance.
"It was amazing to see so many new faces’
"We can’t wait to be able to restart our community groups and have had some interesting chats about ideas for new groups too, so watch this space.’
"Toast could not be happier to join Monmouthshire Upcycle, it feels like we’re a perfect fit already, working to the same community values."
The team at Upcycle said that they are equally excited about the collaboration and what the future holds.
Matt Jones, project manager said: "As a local, community based charity we aim to be inclusive for all and promote this in what we do with staff, volunteers and other local groups. Isla and her team have vision of a community space that is perfect for this."
Upcycle have also announced a collaboration with Monmouthshire County Council to create a 'library of things' - opening soon - where people will be able to borrow items they may only need to use once or twice a year, such as hedge-cutters or gazebos, reducing society’s consumption.
Toast is now open inside Monmouthshire Upcycle, near Chepstow railway station, for takeaways and outside seating.
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