New community restaurant set to open in the New Year

It may sound like waffle – but a new Axminster café, plans to sell the celebrated Belgian dessert to raise funds for local good causes.

All the profits from a new restaurant, set to open in West Street, will be ploughed back into the community, say its operators.

If planning consent is granted The Community Waffle House plans to begin operations in the New Year, in premises formerly run as an RSPCA charity shop.

The venture has three directors Matt Smith, Tim Whiteway and Sophie Mclachlan and a team of around 20 helpers.

Matt said: “We are registered as a Community Interest Company (CIC) - a not-for-profit social enterprise which means that 100 per cent of the profits will go back into the community of Axminster. Some of us come from local churches, others from local businesses and others are friends and family, although what we all have in common is a passion for the community of Axminster and for social action.

“We will be open until 10pm in the evening and focussing on hand-baking, from fresh, the very best Belgian Waffles with a range of fresh toppings alongside amazing local coffee, juices, milkshakes, cakes etc.

“But more importantly, for us, we believe in the power of ‘waffling’ with each other as a community.

“That’s why we want to create a community-owned and run space in the heart of the town that can be used to bring the community together to form unlikely friendships right across the community from the oldest to the youngest with a particular focus on those that are on the margins.

“We hope to do that through initiatives like a ‘pay-it-forward’ scheme where people can buy coffee for the less fortunate, a voting system in house where people can decide where they want the profits to go, hosting free community events and educations workshops in conjunction with Teach South West.

“We are just a group of youngish people that live in Axminster and are really keen to see our community thrive - so we would love to hear from people if they have a passion for the community of Axminster and have any ideas or comments for how this space could be used.”

A community Interest company(CIC) is a special type of limited company which exists to benefit the community rather than private shareholders.

The Government says it must create an ‘asset lock’- a legal promise stating that the company’s assets will only be used for its social objectives, and setting limits to the money it can pay to shareholders.