Warning for organisers - Dean Heritage Centre café

[SoreTween]

It has been in the local press hereabouts that the person who runs the café at the Dean Heritage Centre was served 12 months notice in early October.  Details are scant but there's a pretty healthy grapevine hereabouts.  The problem seems to be that while the café makes enough money to be self supporting the DHC is struggling and not making enough off the café space to satisfy the fuckwits beancounters (don't expect me to strike through that and replace it with something more polite - not gonna happen).  The whisper in the blowing leaves is next year after that staff have been got rid of pre-packaged sandwiches and mass produced cake will be the order of the day. No doubt that will reduce the turnover even further and the fuckwits beancounters will try to restore lost revenue by putting the prices up. Scratching their heads at the sheer mystery of it they will repeat this cycle until they sell roughly one £11.99 sandwich per week to a passing Japanese or American tourist and then shut the place down.  That got a bit ranty didn't it?  Sorry.

Anyway, if you happen to be passing there fill your boots for a reasonable sum while you can and maybe wave a pen over the petition on the counter.  I believe a few calendar events use the DHC currently, other arrangements may be necessary late 2017.  At the least expect more than a 'same as last year?' email will be needed.

[Clemo]

Yes i had heard that to, I passed there yesterday but didn't go in as I was pushed for time, this is such a shame. 

[Banjo]

That is a real shame.

Good food fast service and pleasant staff.

Sadly bean counters rule the world.

[Malmesbury Monk]

I'm sorry to hear this. 

The food always has a home cooked appearance and taste with generous portions at a reasonable price. Will definitely sign the petition when I'm next passing.

[Philip Whiteman]

What a shame. I had been planning a club run to the centre. Not the case now. Are there any decent alternatives?

[SoreTween]

What a shame. I had been planning a club run to the centre. Not the case now. Are there any decent alternatives?

Please do Philip, the staff and setup are unchanged so far.  The home cooked feel and good value should remain until Oct 2017.

Decent alternatives:
Parkend post office - Good tea & cake. Possibly a very limited hot selection added recently (to be confirmed). Small.
Dean Forest Cycles in Parkend - Good tea & cake and adequate hot selection but still not a full kitchen.
Lydney Kaplans - Truly excellent hot selection and IIRC some cake.  You'll need a lock as your bike will be out of sight (of you)
Coleford Kaplans - Ditto
Taurus crafts (just south of Lydney) - good selection hot & cold, a little more pricey from memory.  Café lock needed again.
Other possibilities still without leaving the forest:
There must be something at pedal-a-bike-away (4km north of Parkend) but I know not what.  They are rammed most weekends so ought to be able to support a good café.  Clearwell caves, Perrygrove, Puzzlewood, Beechenhurst, 2 or 3 cafés in Cinderford, Dean Forest Railway at Norchard....

Dean Forest Cycles is IMO the best bet for organisers if the DHC café does get ruined.

[Clemo]

There must be something at pedal-a-bike-away (4km north of Parkend) but I know not what.  They are rammed most weekends so ought to be able to support a good café.  Clearwell caves, Perrygrove, Puzzlewood, Beechenhurst, 2 or 3 cafés in Cinderford, Dean Forest Railway at Norchard....

There is a cafe there but i think its outside seating only, although having said that I haven't been there for a while so it may have changed.

[BlackSheep]

It's all very sad, I heard the news a few weeks ago. After 35 years of hard work and excellent service, Kay and her team are being viewed as surplus to requirements. The council have decided that they can do a better job. Not wishing to pre-judge,  but I very much doubt that. Oh well, looks like 2017 will see the last of Mr. Pickwick's March Madness, Sam Weller's Spring tonic, Teddy bears' picnic and Mint Stalwart's mania and at least one more (Mr. Pickwick's high summer meander), that were going to get a new airing after a few years in retirement.

As SoreTween has eluded, the bean counters' logic doesn't really hold-up. The council actually make money from leasing-out the cafe. So how do they expect to make it pay by adopting the same tactics as the use elsewhere in the centre? I would have thought that if a Tenant is  actually easing the burden, they'd be left alone. And the council's attentions would be better spent getting the other parts running more efficiently.

EDIT ADDED 30/10/2016 taken from  http://www.deanheritagecentre.com/news/latestnews.htm
Cafe given 12 months notice to vacate

On October 4th 2016 the Dean Heritage Museum Trust served a twelve month notice to the existing cafe owner Kay Bird.

It was with sadness the Trust had to end the business agreement with Kay Bird, the Board of Trustees has acted on advice given to the Trust by two independent consultancy reports undertaken in recent years.

In October 2016 the Dean Heritage Museum Trust began a funded project supported by Arts Council England. Titled 'focusing on the fundamentals', this project will allow the Trust to develop, improve and maintain its purpose of protecting, promoting and preserving the unique heritage of the beautiful Forest of Dean.

Since the Forest of Dean District Council has been unable to offer funding in any way to this charity for several years, the Trust has had to address this loss of income. The Trust must explore all possible revenue streams to ensure the Dean Heritage Centre continues to be the best it can for our community. Admission currently makes up two thirds of the Trusts annual income. Therefore from October 5th 2017 the cafe on site at the Dean Heritage Centre will be run by the Trust as an in house operation.

The dedicated team at the Dean Heritage Centre, made up of local volunteers and paid staff, sincerely hope the Forest community will continue to support the work we do on their behalf.

[/color]

It would be interesting to see reports and the agenda set by those that commissioned the reports. I can see a request under the freedom of information   being made. Perhaps everyone reading this should also make one. There are families livelihoods in the balance here in a place of already higher than average unemployment.

[Banjo]

I wonder how much money they blew on two separate consultancy reports .

[Philip Whiteman]

SoreTween,  thanks for the list of alternatives. The bike shop cafe looks good!

[BlackSheep]

SoreTween,  thanks for the list of alternatives. The bike shop cafe looks good!

Kay and her team at Dean Heritage Café will be staying put and very much open for busoness until October 2017.

[BlackSheep]

As I was out and about today, I dropped in to the café and had a good chat with Kay. It would appear that the Dean Heritage Museum Trust is 5 people, N. Parkhouse (chair), Mary Dutson,  Graeme Schrouder, Helly Barker & David Hawes.* It appears that the model they're using is virtually identical to another adopted by a similar concern in the Wye valley. That one didn't work, and the Trust in that instance ended up going back to the ousted cafe manger and offering  substantial concessions to take back the business.


Kay asked me to pass on the message that she and the whole team are very much open for business. So please carry on using the cafe.




* Names obtain from public domain search.   

[P Walsh]

I don't often go that way but I will make a point of going that way soon to support the kind of business that makes our travels a pleasure.

[Cudzoziemiec]

There must be something at pedal-a-bike-away (4km north of Parkend) but I know not what.  They are rammed most weekends so ought to be able to support a good café.  Clearwell caves, Perrygrove, Puzzlewood, Beechenhurst, 2 or 3 cafés in Cinderford, Dean Forest Railway at Norchard....

There is a cafe there but i think its outside seating only, although having said that I haven't been there for a while so it may have changed.

There is definitely a proper cafe at Clearwell Caves.

[itinerant]

I hop they can remain in the cafe. I remember the time before last we arrived (on one of Black Sheep's summer 200s) rather late in the day and the staff raided their fridge to ensure we got food. We were extremely grateful. As we were about to go, more stragglers riders came in and the ladies behind the counter found food for them as well. Top class cafe!

[sojournermike]

It's all very sad, I heard the news a few weeks ago. After 35 years of hard work and excellent service, Kay and her team are being viewed as surplus to requirements. The council have decided that they can do a better job. Not wishing to pre-judge,  but I very much doubt that. Oh well, looks like 2017 will see the last of Mr. Pickwick's March Madness, Sam Weller's Spring tonic, Teddy bears' picnic and Mint Stalwart's mania and at least one more (Mr. Pickwick's high summer meander), that were going to get a new airing after a few years in retirement.

As SoreTween has eluded, the bean counters' logic doesn't really hold-up. The council actually make money from leasing-out the cafe. So how do they expect to make it pay by adopting the same tactics as the use elsewhere in the centre? I would have thought that if a Tenant is  actually easing the burden, they'd be left alone. And the council's attentions would be better spent getting the other parts running more efficiently.

EDIT ADDED 30/10/2016 taken from  http://www.deanheritagecentre.com/news/latestnews.htm
Cafe given 12 months notice to vacate

On October 4th 2016 the Dean Heritage Museum Trust served a twelve month notice to the existing cafe owner Kay Bird.

It was with sadness the Trust had to end the business agreement with Kay Bird, the Board of Trustees has acted on advice given to the Trust by two independent consultancy reports undertaken in recent years.

In October 2016 the Dean Heritage Museum Trust began a funded project supported by Arts Council England. Titled 'focusing on the fundamentals', this project will allow the Trust to develop, improve and maintain its purpose of protecting, promoting and preserving the unique heritage of the beautiful Forest of Dean.

Since the Forest of Dean District Council has been unable to offer funding in any way to this charity for several years, the Trust has had to address this loss of income. The Trust must explore all possible revenue streams to ensure the Dean Heritage Centre continues to be the best it can for our community. Admission currently makes up two thirds of the Trusts annual income. Therefore from October 5th 2017 the cafe on site at the Dean Heritage Centre will be run by the Trust as an in house operation.

The dedicated team at the Dean Heritage Centre, made up of local volunteers and paid staff, sincerely hope the Forest community will continue to support the work we do on their behalf.

[/color]

It would be interesting to see reports and the agenda set by those that commissioned the reports. I can see a request under the freedom of information   being made. Perhaps everyone reading this should also make one. There are families livelihoods in the balance here in a place of already higher than average unemployment.

Presumably the new model will involve lower pay for staff and cheaper food, with higher prices. I tend to the view that, if that becomes the business model they should:

1. Pay the living wage as a minimum, with appropriate increases for increasing responsibility

2. Stop using volunteer labour amd pay all staff who work for them.

Alternatively, perhaps Key could find alternative accommodation nearby.

[Canardly]

Be interesting to see the business case. Lots of cafes fail out there.

[Philip Whiteman]

Alleged threats of legal action ensue....

Source: http://www.theforestreview.co.uk/article.cfm?id=105062&headline=Legal%20battle%20%27could%20see%20centre%20close%27&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2016

"THE fight to save a Forest museum café has stepped up with the owner saying she is in the early stage of taking legal action.
Mrs Kay Bird, who has worked at the Dean Heritage Centre Café in Soudley for nearly 35 years, said a petition calling for the centre not to close her business next October has gained more than 300 signatures.

Last Thursday the centre’s AGM discussed the future of the café with the museum’s trust saying if Mrs Bird pursued a legal case it would close.

Mrs Bird said: "The meeting was very sad. The centre has as good as blackmailed me and said if I don’t go then it will go under. I’m stuck, but will try and fight this until the end. I’ve started going down the legal route and have a petition that has so far seen 300 signatures."

The Review reported last month that the centre had served Mrs Bird a notice to leave the café by next October and plans to take it over and run it as an ’in-house’ operation.

Chairman of the trustees of the Dean Heritage Museum Charity Trust, Mary Dutson has taken over from Neil Parkhouse who announced he was stepping down from the role during the meeting.

She said: "I am deeply saddened that we have had to serve Kay a notice on the café but we have a duty to preserve this charity trust, and this is the last resort. The decision wasn’t made lightly and if there was any other way to keep the charity going then we would, of course, explore this; but there isn’t.

"Kay was very upset at the meeting and it was made clear that if she decided to take legal action then it would close the museum as we don’t have the funds to respond.

Unfortunately the petition wouldn’t change our decision to takeover the café either. I wish Kay every success for the future and would love to see her take her business elsewhere."

[BlackSheep]

Presumably the new model will involve lower pay for staff and cheaper food, with higher prices. I tend to the view that, if that becomes the business model they should:

1. Pay the living wage as a minimum, with appropriate increases for increasing responsibility

2. Stop using volunteer labour amd pay all staff who work for them.

Alternatively, perhaps Key could find alternative accommodation nearby.

Always dangerous to presume, but pay won't be figuring too high on the agenda - the Trust is going to rely on volunteers, rather like they presently do for the visitor centre. I know I'm getting cynical in my old age, but staking a commercial venture wholly on a volunteer workforce is a risky business (in this case quite litterally). There's sure to be tears before bedtime.

Cross posting with Philip's post. It appears that there has been a lot of short-cutting by the Trust and their dealings with the local council,  and not much due process followed. This would seem to be at the centre of Kay's action. If the Trust is being true to itself and everyone else - they don't have the finances to defend their position.

always a give-away when the chair resigns during a power meeting, even more frightening when the main powerhouse behind the "masterplan" is only too eager to jump into the captain's chair.

Rather amusingly Kay and her business partner have framed the notice served on them. It's all very run of the mill - the sort of thing you can buy in WHSmith legal pack.  However, the last paragraph is something that wouldn't be out of place in a child's letter to father christmas.

[SoreTween]

There may be developments of a positive nature for Kay & crew. Could just be the over active forest grapevine of course.

[Malmesbury Monk]

Good to see it really busy yesterday on Black Sheep's 200km. (I know a lack of customers isn't the issue). I should have asked, but I didn't see a petition anywhere.

I hope the good news is confirmed.

[BlackSheep]

Good to see it really busy yesterday on Black Sheep's 200km. (I know a lack of customers isn't the issue). I should have asked, but I didn't see a petition anywhere.

I hope the good news is confirmed.

Kay has sourced a new location near to the cross roads adjacent to Cannop Ponds.

[TigaSefi]

Good to see it really busy yesterday on Black Sheep's 200km. (I know a lack of customers isn't the issue). I should have asked, but I didn't see a petition anywhere.

I hope the good news is confirmed.

Kay has sourced a new location near to the cross roads adjacent to Cannop Ponds.

Is this stop on the Dean 300km ? i'll pay a visit to support Kay.

[Brakeless]

Good to see it really busy yesterday on Black Sheep's 200km. (I know a lack of customers isn't the issue). I should have asked, but I didn't see a petition anywhere.

I hope the good news is confirmed.

Kay has sourced a new location near to the cross roads adjacent to Cannop Ponds.

Is this stop on the Dean 300km ? i'll pay a visit to support Kay.

The Dean stays slightly to the east of Cannop

[mattc]

The Dean goes through Soudley. It's probably a half-mile flat diversion to this café, which I'd never seen before Saturday. I shall certainly keep it in mind on future editions!

(It's just after that gorgeous road through Soudley Plantation, past the lake. I'd say it's in the middle of the toughest section.)

If you ride the Dean as a perm on a Sunday, very little is open on route - in particular the Good News caff at Newent. Just lots of very iffy-looking pubs in the Forest of Dean.