Crowdfund Lambeth joined over 150 people inedged £30,000 to convert a Vauxhall space (formerly a pub, then a community centre) into a family-friendly community cafe. Crowdfund Lambeth provided £5,000 of match funding, helping the Roam Café team beat their original target. Anything raised above the target will help pay for equipment for the play space and role play area,
Play space and preloved shop
The Roam Café – the name comes from local families needing a place where children can roam around – will also include a downstairs custom-made play space with a climbing frame, role play areas and safe space for babies and a preloved toy and clothing shop, enabling a circular economy which reduces waste and fly-tipping as well as saving families money.
Social impact
The decision to crowdfund the project comes from the lack of grants available to not-for-profit start-ups. Crowdfund project founder Charlotte (Charlie) Gibb is passionate about businesses having social impact and community connections. “Anyone raising young children knows the days when everything feels overwhelming and lonely. For families in flats, there’s the added stress of trying to keep little feet quiet and toys from flying about. We’ve spoken to many families locally who share the same struggles, so we started to imagine what we could to do change this”.
Charlie, Community Connection champion Tamsin, and soon-to-be Cafe Manager Naomi have helped to run the local Little Stars playgroup since 2021and set up the Roam café Crowdfunder as a Community Interest Company (CIC). They shared design ideas on Instagram to keep parents excited about the space.
Stepping Stones to work
All three areas of the Roam Café will also provide meaningful stepping stones into work with employability placements for local women facing barriers to employment, helping build skills and confidence.
More information about Crowdfund Lambeth
You may be eligible for match funding of up to 50% of your crowdfund target (£5,000 max), from Lambeth Council. On your match-funding application form you will be asked to write a statement about how your project meets the criteria. Before completing your application please read the accompanying guidance notes fully and Terms & Conditions. The project must contribute to one or more of our new Borough Plan Lambeth 2030 Outcomes which are made up of three ambitions and The Lambeth Golden Thread of Equity and Justice.
For further information, you can visit our webpage Crowdfund Lambeth or email crowdfunding@lambeth.gov.uk
Contact the Roam Café project on roamcommunitycafe@gmail.com.
