Cafe owner who offers emergency meal packs gets her own helping hand after oven breaks

Job losses, employees on furlough and children spending months out of school due to the coronavirus pandemic have had a massive impact on communities – and prompted kind-hearted

people to rally together.

Sue Seddon is no stranger to helping others after running her CuriosiTea @ 23 cafe in Layton for seven years, and supporting people in need during that time.

But Sue doubled her efforts during the pandemic, providing emergency meal packs with help from Blackpool Food Bank and Layton Co-Op, while still running the cafe for pre-ordered

collections.

So when the cafe’s oven broke during this latest lockdown, Sue was given a helping hand herself.

Sue said: “Our lovely friends at Paths 2 Progress Blackpool volunteer group set up a fund-raising page to try and raise some money to help us to buy a new oven.

“After seeing this plea online, HS Property Group in Manchester stepped in straight away to help.

“They offered to supply and install a brand new double oven for us free of charge.

“For a company that doesn’t even know us to want to help, it’s overwhelming.

“We can’t thank them enough. It’s amazing.

“We all need a bit of help sometimes.”

Sue and partner Steve moved the cafe into new premises on Layton Road three months before the first lockdown last year.

Sue said: “We opened in the new premises in January last year.

“I couldn’t have done it without my partner, Steve.

“Then the pandemic hit and we were shut for the first lockdown.

“We re-opened when the new tier sections were introduced and we are open now for pre-ordered collections.

“While the shop is quieter due to lockdown, the meal packs keep us busy and support the community.

“We’re not a charity; we do this because we want to do it. We do it for the community.

“Without the ongoing support from Blackpool Food Bank and Layton Co-Op we couldn’t provide the emergency meal packs – they have supported us loads.

“And we have great customers who come from all over.”

Tom Nawn, development director at HS Property Group, said: “The core of what we do is around social housing and homelessness. Sue gives so much to the community so we wanted to

help. She really embodies the work we want to do with care providers and charities.”

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