Cafe at hospital closes

THE CAFE at Wokingham Hospital has been closed as it was felt to be no longer viable.

Run by the Royal Voluntary Service, it had its last day of trading on Thursday. It was the only food outlet at the Barkham Road healthcare centre, serving staff, patients and visitors.

The site offers rehabilitation and physiotherapy services and has a unit for children with mental health conditions.

The Royal Voluntary Service has been running cafes since 1938, and is one of the largest operators of catering services in the NHS, with more than 200 sites largely staffed by volunteers.

The charity feels it is not possible to carry on brewing in Wokingham, saying the covid pandemic has changed things.

Chris Gray, the charity’s head of retail operations, said: “We have been pleased to see trading return to many of our cafés and shops, following the pandemic. There are however some sites where there is reduced footfall and customer spend, including our café at Wokingham Hospital. This means we have had to make the difficult decision to close it.

“As a charity operating in a challenging environment, it’s no longer viable to run this service.”

He added: “Our focus remains on supporting the rest of our retail estate as well as on helping the NHS and vulnerable people in the community.”

“We are sad to see this service go and would like to thank all our staff and volunteers who have supported the cafe over the years.

“We are working with the Trust and our volunteers to identify other volunteering opportunities at the hospital and in the community.”