My name is Carolyn Kidd and I am the proprietor of The Tradesman’s Entrance Café on the Market Place in Buxton. Six years ago I took the decision to open the café on Christmas Day – we called it “Christmas for the Community” - to welcome and feed anyone in the local community who had nowhere else to go. The need has grown every year and now the café is a hub for a number of community projects as well as a place to eat.

Christmas 2020 saw the number of people needing “Christmas for the Community” rocketing. We saw a huge increase in families literally on the breadline desperate for our help, so we pulled together and provided over 50 families with a food hamper to enable them to feed their family at Christmas, as well as over 150 hot dinners made at the café and delivered to vulnerable residents of Buxton.

So, in response to an ever increasing need driven by the financial effects of the pandemic, I am working with Connex Community Support and Buxton Street by Street to set up a project called The Breadline. This project is offering emergency hardship grants to local residents of Buxton who, for whatever reason, have fallen on hard times. We are currently offering help and support in the form of vouchers for food, travel for medical reasons or job interviews and mobile phone top-ups.

We have built up a wide network of other local resources for those occasions when we are unable to provide any item or service being requested.

Every application for help will be assessed on a case by case basis and agreed by our steering group, comprising of representatives from The Tradesman’s Café, Connex Community Support, Buxton Street by Street and other impartial panel members.

As a local business owner, I have always tried to support local initiatives. I have seen first-hand how my Christmas support has made such a difference to local people in need, as well as support services such as Buxton Street by Street and Connex Community Support.

I am asking for contributions to help sustain The Breadline and increase our reach to more of those in need, as the economic impact of the pandemic continues to grow.

If you would like to know more about The Breadline, or simply chat, I will be happy to take your call: 07377 384 650.

Together we can make a difference!

Thank you,

Carolyn Kidd.