Cockburnspath Community Cafe is bringing people together
Cockburnspath Village Hall were awarded a grant of £8,198 from Foresight Kinegar, one of the six funds administered by Foundation Scotland through the Co'path & Cove Community Fund.
Cockburnspath Village Hall, located in a small rural community in the Scottish Borders, has long served as a focal point for local life. One of its most valued assets is the Community Café, a weekly gathering space that provided residents a place to connect, share a meal, and combat the isolation that can so easily take hold in rural settings.
Prior to this project, the café had been run entirely by volunteers. Whilst the dedication of those volunteers was steadfast, operational pressures led to a reduction in opening hours, from three hours per week down to just one and a half. Menu variety was reduced, and the consistency that makes a community hub truly welcoming became difficult to maintain.
Reflecting upon its challenges and listening to its volunteers, the Trustees took action and embarked on a pilot project to test how employing someone could help ensure the long term sustainability of the Community Café.
The Project
Cockburnspath Village Hall were awarded a grant of £8,198 from Foresight Kinegar, one of the six funds administered by Foundation Scotland through the Cockburnspath and Cove Community Fund, which opened in 2024, combining all six local community benefit funds, making it easier for community groups and charities to access funding through a single Fund arrangement.
Cockburnspath Village Hall embarked on a pilot project to employ a local chef or cook for six hours per week. The aim was to restore the café to its full three-hour weekly opening, bring greater consistency and quality to the food on offer, and in doing so, reinvigorate its role as a community hub.
The employed chef’s responsibilities included planning weekly menus, sourcing ingredients locally (including from the nearby Community Shop), preparing and serving food, and co-ordinating the team of volunteers who continue to play a vital supporting role. Volunteers provide baking and cover during the chef’s absences, ensuring continuity and preserving the community-led spirit of the project.
The project budget also encompassed food hygiene training where required, a mileage allowance for grocery shopping, and payroll administration. Reflecting well-structured approach to making paid employment within a small voluntary organisation work in practice.
Evidence of Need
The case for this project was firmly grounded in community evidence. During the pandemic, Cockburnspath conducted a Community Action Plan consultation that identified restarting the café as a high priority, with residents specifically suggesting that employing staff to run it would be the most sustainable route forward.
A follow-up evaluation carried out in February 2024 reinforced this message powerfully: 91% of survey respondents confirmed that the café had successfully brought the community back together and reduced social isolation. The “overwhelming desire for the café to continue” was clear.
Outcomes and Impact
Following a recruitment process in November 2025, the Village Hall Committee appointed a chef who had originally volunteered with the café, a fitting choice that brought both practical expertise and an existing connection to the community it serves.
The café now serves between 18 and 31 people each week, averaging around 25 visitors per session, with average weekly sales of approximately £150. It is anticipated that the project will benefit between 80 and 100 community residents each month.
A visit to the café during this period spoke volumes:
| “The tables were full and there was a lovely positive atmosphere, chairs pulled around tables to fit more people in. It felt like a warm and welcoming environment.” |
The menu changes every week, keeping the offering fresh and interesting, a small but meaningful detail that signals genuine care for the people walking through the door.
As a Village Hall Committee Member said:
| “Our Tuesday café is bedding in well as it starts its new phase with the support of Foresight Kinegar. It took us a little longer than we expected to find a service provider as we moved away from the volunteer-only model. We’re at the initial review stage and gathering feedback on the transition, but in short — so far so good!” |
Why Pilot Projects Matter to Funders
This project is a strong example of why pilot funding plays such an important role in the development of community services. Pilots allow communities alike to test new approaches, gather evidence, and make informed decisions about sustainability, all before committing to long-term funding.
In this instance, the shift from a fully volunteer-run model to one incorporating paid employment represented a significant operational change. A pilot allowed the Village Hall Committee to:
- Test whether paid employment would genuinely improve consistency and quality.
- Gather real attendance and sales data that can inform future funding applications and business planning.
- Build community confidence in the new model before it becomes permanent.
- Evaluate sustainability — understanding whether income from sales, alongside future grants or community funding, could eventually support the model without ongoing external subsidy.
For funders, investing in a well-designed pilot reduces risk while maximising the potential for long-term impact. The evidence generated, quantitative data on footfall and sales, alongside qualitative feedback on community wellbeing, creates a compelling case for future investment.
Pilots also send a powerful signal to communities: that their ideas are worth testing, that failure (and learning) is acceptable, and that sustainable change takes time to build. In Cockburnspath, the Tuesday café is already delivering that change, one warm, full table at a time.
Read more about the Cockburnspath and Cove Community Fund