A brand-new community ‘eco-cafe’ has opened its doors in Cringle Park amidst several upgrades to the popular green space.

Built into a large shipping container, the cafe will be operated by Grounded MCR CIC, a social enterprise dedicated to supporting community mental health, led by local residents Kerry and Natalie Lobel. For almost four years, they have been serving the community from their yellow coffee trike near the Cringle Park playground.

Grounded provides employment opportunities for individuals experiencing anxiety, allowing them to work at their own pace in an inclusive and understanding environment.

The cafe will serve a range of hot and cold food and beverages and will be working with FareShare to save unused food from being wasted.

Natalie Lobel from Grounded MCR said: “Grounded Manchester CIC is so happy to have been given the chance to open a community cafe in Cringle Park. Thank you to MCC – between us we can support local disadvantaged people into work whilst improving the mental health of our staff and customers. We can’t wait to get cracking.“

In addition to the cafe, extensive planting and landscaping improvements have been made, including a new ‘green roof’ to ensure the cafe is sympathetic to the park surroundings.

Elsewhere, other recent investments in Cringle Park include upgraded competition standard tennis courts, outdoor gym equipment, improvements to the play area and a new zip wire.

Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods, said: “We’ve created a strong partnership with the community in Cringle Park and the result is this fantastic new cafe and toilet facility where people can relax, enjoy quality food and drinks and feel part of the wider community.

“We are investing in our parks with our communities as they are places where people can enjoy nature, play sport and feel pride in their park – they are not just green spaces, they bring people together and are beneficial for both our physical and mental health.

“Our commitment is demonstrated in the 50% uplift we’ve seen in Park visitors from pre pandemic level. 9.2 million park visitors across the city in the past 12 months”

Words:
Bradley Lengden
Published on:
Mon 14 Apr 2025