Popular cafe reopens – with a twist

It’s been a while in the preparation but the Hideaway cafe/bar on Shirehampton Road has finally re-opened its doors, much to the delight of locals.

Co-owner Paul Morgan was delighted to get the keys to the property after admiring it from his business, Discovery Education, which has premises opposite.

Paul had been a customer of the cafe before it closed suddenly in January.

It had been a welcome addition to an area which lacks larger social spaces but the venue had not been able to survive the harsh economic climate.

The venue is one of the larger units in a row of smaller shops. It’s been a musical instrument shop, a mobility equipment store and was originally a supermarket.

Like many local shopping areas, Shirehampton Road has changed over the years.

Many of the units opposite have been turned into offices, but there are still two small supermarkets, hairdressers, a chippy and several other businesses which keep the area active.

The Hideaway has certainly been missed locally while it’s been closed and, since work started on re-opening. locals have been calling at the door to find out what’s going on.

Paul’s even been offered a hug by one ex-customer delighted to hear of the reopening.

The previous incarnation of the Hideaway closed suddenly in January – photo: Mary Milton

Paul and business partner Simon have a new plan to make the venue a success.

The Hideaway will now operate within their Discovery Education brand which provides alternative provision for children and young people who are struggling in mainstream schools.

It will become part of their 16+ provision, introducing a real work experience element for students learning catering skills.

The Hideaway has already opened with a full set of regular staff who will be joined by students in a few months time.

Paul’s first experience as an educator was working with ex-offenders, training them for construction roles.

“Many of them were neurodiverse and I saw how well they responded to being able to work alongside, and learn from others in a practical way,” he says.

Paul has also seen that many of the children in alternate provision respond better in an environment that looks less like a school.

“Our education is not a one size fits all approach, there will be a range of front and back of house options available to suit individual students, we have also employed a really nice chef to lead the kitchen. We want to provide a calm kitchen where people enjoy coming to work,” Paul explains.

The students will work alongside and in addition to the main staff while learning. The aim is that they will gain all the tools needed ready for work in the industry when they leave at 18.

They won’t only be learning catering skills, the programme helps develop other skills needed for work, like travelling independently.

Paul and Suzi show off the kitchen-themed children’s play area which has been built with the help of students on Discovery’s BTEC construction course – photo: Mary Milton

The new manager of the Hideaway is Suzi Abraham, who previously managed a cafe in Dursely.

“This job caught my eye as something a bit unusual, something that will help people,” she says.

Suzi looking forward to working with the young people and hopefully watching them grow in confidence.

Inside there have been some minor changes to the layout of the venue, mainly to make it even more child friendly by adding a large indoor play area.

Opposite the play area, where it’s a bit quieter, there’s space with plug sockets for customers to use laptops.

The menu is casual dining with sandwiches, salads and an array of cakes on offer.

The Hideaway is open 9am – 4pm,  Monday to Saturday and hopes to open later some evenings in the future.

Mary Milton is reporting on Sea Mills as part of Bristol24/7’s Community Reporters programme, aiming to amplify marginalised voices and communities often overlooked by mainstream media

All photos: Mary Milton

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