A popular café in South Gloucestershire will be reopened by the winners of its first ever bake off competition, which took place during lockdown.
Avenue Café in Emersons Green will reopen on July 6 for a soft launch, before the winners of the online competition cut the ribbon to officially mark the return of the business.
The competition ran over a fortnight in May, with more than 150 entrants baking a cake of their choice and sharing it on the cafe’s social media platforms.
Winner Claire Moon received a top prize worth £100, while there were also prizes for runners-up 10-year-old Evie Lawrence and Nichola Love.
Lockdown highlighted community spirit of Emersons Green
Avenue Café owner Costas Kkolos has invited the trio of 'VIPs' to mark the grand relaunch on Sunday, July 12.
Costas said: "Lockdown has had a huge impact on so many businesses but what we have really noticed is how much of a community we have here in the café and the area itself.
"Independent businesses have been hit incredibly hard and we lack the resources of the big players but what we do have is a tonne of passion, creativity and incredibly loyal and frankly very wonderful customers.
"We wanted to make sure we didn’t lose that, even in lockdown, so we have been working hard to keep people informed, engaged and even entertained.
"The culmination of this was the bake off which was huge fun for all of us and actually exceeded our expectations in terms of entries and also the talent that people have been hiding away all this time.
"We thought that the best way to celebrate reopening would be to have a little party and to get our winners back to help us cut the ribbon as our VIPs."
Social distancing measures
When the café reopens on July 6 there will be a number of social distancing measures in place to protect staff and customers from Covid-19.
It will reopen with a reduced capacity to ensure customers are spaced two metres apart while dining in.
Perspex screens will be in place at the counter while staff will wear PPE. There will also be sanitiser gel points for both customers and staff, and a deep clean of the premises will take place in the lead-up to the relaunch.
"It will certainly be a new experience and we will endeavour to make it an enjoyable experience through our great food and ambience and safe practices," added Costas.
For more information about the Avenue Cafe’s grand reopening, visit its website.
