Growhampton's The Hive Cafe has been a real success this past 12 months, and we've got our lovely students and regular local customers to thank for making it so popular, and really brightening up the centre of the University of Roehampton's campus.

Our cafe has become so well used that we're almost running out of space, so we've launched a £20,000 crowdfunding bid to expand and create more space for visitors to sit and enjoy our triple certified coffee and organic snacks.

The café was launched a year ago this month by Putney's MP Justine Greening, with funding from the National Union of Students’ Green Fund. When that funding comes to an end, our hope is that the Crowdfunding money will allow to us to expand so we can continue doing what we love and what all our customers come for regularly.

And that's where we need your help! To secure the Crowdfunding cash, we need to raise the full £20,000 before 30 June. We're asking everyone living in Roehampton as well as students and staff who regularly use the café to show support. We've already raised around £1,400 but there's still a way to go.

Our students union president, Siobhan Kelly, says: "The Hive Café has been such a success; each month hundreds of people who live in Roehampton walk their kids to school through our campus and stop off for a coffee and our, organic food. If each of them, together with our students and uni staff, made a small pledge to support the café, it would help us create a bigger seating area for our customers and continue our food education work. It’s a great meeting place, our food is really healthy and the atmosphere is so friendly and relaxing. People love it and we need their help to keep it going.”

If you can support the Hive Café, visit the crowdfunding website. Everyone who donates £5 will receive a free coffee, with further incentives for those able to give more money.

The café is a social enterprise which invests its profits back into the Growhampton project. Last year we won a national award from the Soil Association for the best organic eating out venue in the UK.

It was built from two shipping containers, and the expansion project will see a third added, which will lead to three times as much seating. In total £12,500 will be spent on buying, cutting and welding the shipping container to fit with the existing structure. A further £5,000 is needed to carry out a complete internal redecoration, and £1,500 will pay for lights, power and new kitchen equipment.

Thanks so much for your help!

Joel

Joel Williams is the Grower for the University of Roehampton Students’ Union’s Growhampton project