Depot Bakery announced as park café operators

Artisan bakery is coming to Hillsborough Park, after Age UK Sheffield announced that the Depot Bakery will operate its new café at the Old Coach House.

The charity’s announcement comes after an extensive, three-stage process to find an operator which will deliver an excellent customer experience for the entire community, as well as a new source of income for the local, older people’s charity.

The Depot Bakery currently operates from 92 Burton Road, in Neepsend and in seven years of operation has become a firm favourite as a place to enjoy brunch and lunch. The Old Coach House will be an additional site for its artisanal freshly-baked breads, Viennoisse pastry, specialist espresso and filter coffee, alongside a freshly prepared hot and cold food menu.

Age UK Sheffield Chief Executive, Steve Chu, said: “We are absolutely delighted to announce that the Depot Bakery will be delivering our café in the Old Coach House, after a thorough selection process. We were hugely impressed by their commitment to high quality, locally- sourced products, their strong track record within Sheffield, and their exciting vision to bring a great customer café experience to Hillsborough Park.”

He added: “The Depot Bakery have been very receptive to our suggestions for how the lighting, decoration, furniture, and customer service offer can reflect the needs of people living with long-term conditions such as sight and hearing impairments, and dementia, and we are confident our café will be accessible for the entire local community. We are proud to have the Depot Bakery as our partners in this exciting development.”

Ben Smith, from Depot Bakery, said: “This is a unique opportunity to work together with Age UK Sheffield and park stakeholders to create a café that we intend to become an established part of the local community and a valuable asset for all park users. We are blown away by the ambition of the project, and we plan to match the ambition by delivering an internal and external retail, dining, and drinking space that is sensitive and complementary to the beautiful park surrounds. We know the S6 community well and we are looking forward to playing our own small part in the emerging independent led food and drink scene in Hillsborough.”

Building work started on the Grade II-listed building in March. The Lottery funded, £1 million restoration project is expected to be completed by the end of 2021, with the café opening in early 2022.

At the same time, Age UK Sheffield will open the neighbouring Potting Shed as a new, creative arts centre for older people, providing a wide range of activities which will be targeted at people aged 50 and over, but open to all. The charity will also manage the nearby Hillsborough Park Bowling Pavilion as an older people’s activity centre and community facility.