TROUBLE BREWING IN ECCLES PRECINCT?

I was contacted by a concerned Eccles resident who told me that the Eccles Coffee Stall  in the middle of the precinct which has been run by Yvonne McGarvey for the past four years is facing possible closure with the news that The Salford Veterans Community Group will be opening a café and drop in centre in the empty premises which has been used by Bacon and Cheese, Ringwood's and Kenton's Cards over the years.

I spoke to Yvonne who told me her fears about losing her pitch in the precinct.

"I have been serving my regular customers for the past four years and have built up a good and reliable trade and for many of them the coffee stall is not only a meeting place for them but helps give a community feel, where they can meet in safety with friends and chat.

" There has never been a problem with me renewing my 12 month contract with the precinct owners and my current licence expires at the end of March, yet talks seemed to have stalled on me renewing it for some reason.

"The proposed new cafe doesn't bother me as there is room for two cafes in the precinct, and I feel that we both have or will have different clientele, I was told that I will not be able to put my tables alongside their windows which I fully understand, and they have only been there since the premises became empty and they are not obstructing the footpath.

"So at the moment I'm not certain if I will get a licence renewal, if I don't I will be heartbroken as I have a special bond with my customers, a kind of extended family, so I will just have to wait and see, fingers crossed.

One of the cafe's regulars David Teasdale spoke to me and expressed his concerns.

"I live in Cremer House and to be quite honest I have terminal cancer and have no family to speak off, for me the cafe provides a valuable service and offers a lifeline to not only me but many other people, this is my family and is the oxygen for the community and the thought of it closing, fills me with dread"

It should be mentioned that Yvonne raises money by playing bingo with the customers with prizes she has paid for, and with the profits takes her customers out for a day, four times a year to Southport, Blackpool and Morecambe where they get a free meal in a hotel and  free transport there and back, for which she deserves a round of applause at least, a real unsung hero.

Another customer, Lee Clare has organised a petition to keep Yvonne in the precinct and the signatures are rolling in he tells me.

I do hope that she stays and continues with her work which is more,, much more than a coffee stall and that this can be solved amicably and is nothing more than a storm in a teacup!  You must have known I was going to chuck that one in...

So if you are passing support your local community trader and have a brew,, well worth it.

We have tried to contact  The Salford Veterans Community Group for a comment and are awaiting a reply.