News / Bristol
Roll for the Soul to close
Bristol’s community bike cafe and workshop, Roll for the Soul, has announced that it will be closing at the end of this year.
In a statement of Facebook, the Roll for the Soul team wrote that they would have been unlikely to be able to run a viable business if they renewed their rent for another five years from 2018.
“If we call time in a few months, we can go out making sure that everyone gets paid for their work, all our suppliers get paid, and we don’t leave a mess behind,” the statement said.
“We can do it with dignity and on our terms. If we commit to another five years, it may well not be so clean and tidy.”
Roll for the Soul is a hub for Bristol’s cycling community
The team added that there are lots of reasons why they have reached the difficult decision to close, “but the simplest explanation is that it’s become more and more difficult to be profitable.
“We’ve looked at lots of things that we could do to make more money, or spend less. But it’s difficult to see a solution that avoids compromises we don’t want to make.
“We’re so grateful for the support we’ve had over the last four years. It’s been a humbling and joyful experience to meet so many great people, to have so many people help us out, and to be part of an enormous, diverse and wonderful network of individuals and organisations who stand for something better than profit-at-all-costs.”
The plan is for Roll for the Soul to be gone from Quay Street come Christmas, with business as usual until then.
Roll for the Soul will be hosting several events during Bristol Cycle Festival from September 16-24, as well as its regular talks, live music and other events which have made it such a special place for Bristol’s cycling community.
Read more: The return of Bristol Cycle Festival
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