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You are here: Home / Community / Transformation: Dovetail Centre and Dovetail Centre Café

Transformation: Dovetail Centre and Dovetail Centre Café

September 3, 2017 By Janet Williams 4 Comments

In the past few weeks I met some friends at the newly refurbished Dovetail Centre at the Methodist Church a few times.

The place is bright, spacious, modern, and welcoming. It’s accessible to all, and I particularly like the much improved lighting. (I felt a bit dazzled at the beginning as I was sensitive to light due to short-sightedness, but soon got used to it.)

I like the feel of sunshine and the warm atmosphere the place radiates on entering the building each time.

Dovetail Centre Café - improved lighting.
Dovetail Centre Café – improved lighting. The cafe was quieter at 9.30am

Dovetail Centre Café new opening time

From 4th of September 2017 (Monday), the opening hours of the Dovetail Centre Café (traditionally called The Coffee Room) will be:

Monday to Friday: 9am to 12 noon
Saturday: 10am to 12 noon

Dovetail Centre Café at Chandler's Ford Methodist Church, on Winchester Road.
Dovetail Centre Café at Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church, on Winchester Road.

This is great news to parents in particular. The early opening would make it easy for parents to meet up after dropping off their children to nurseries and primary schools. Even though there are more options in recent years for coffee near the Fryern Arcade, Dovetail Centre Café has its many strengths: its low cost quality drinks, spacious and friendly meeting place, free books, magazines and toys, free wifi, and accessible facilities.

A wide range of magazines and newspapers
A wide range of magazines and newspapers

The modernised Dovetail Centre Café continues to be run by volunteers, and the profits made each year go to charities and local community projects, including a generous donation to the Chandler’s Ford Today website. Some of the volunteers have been there for years, for decades, so you’ll see familiar faces with a gentle smile each time.

Dovetail Centre Café - accessible to all.
Dovetail Centre Café – accessible to all. The cafe was busy at 11am.

I find this ‘human touch’ experience particularly heart warming and precious as machines seem to have replaced precious human interactions at supermarket and banks, and even our local GP surgery is closing, so undoubtedly some people (especially vulnerable people, young and old) may be feeling alienated or anxious.

Loneliness and social isolation in our community

Loneliness and social isolation are major social issues especially amongst older people, and there has been a campaign to end loneliness. I feel that a welcoming cafe like Dovetail Centre Café is playing an essential role in supporting people in the community, improving people’s wellbeing, and tackling loneliness.

Dovetail Centre Café

New coffee machine

I was told that traditionally ‘church coffee’ is synonymous to very bad, weak coffee. 37 years ago when Jane Archer started The Coffee Room she broke that tradition by serving ‘proper’ filter coffee.

After the refurbishment, now the Dovetail Centre Café has a new ‘bean to cup’ coffee machine for Latte, Cappuccino, and Americano.

I had to try the new machine, so last week a group of us met there and tried out various new coffee. I had a Cappuccino (£1) and it was excellent. (Note: At Costa Coffee, a cup of Cappuccino is over £2.)

My first cappuccino at Dovetail Centre Café.
My first Cappuccino at Dovetail Centre Café.
Dovetail Centre Cafe price list
Dovetail Centre Café offers a wide range of drinks, biscuits, and, toasted teacakes.

Now toasted teacakes and toast will also be available as well as the usual biscuits.

Accessibility

The new touch to open automatic door is a great feature, which improves access to the building. I often see visitors with a manual wheelchair or an electric scooter, and young mothers with pushchairs, therefore, having an automatic door certainly helps visitors feeling more inclusive.

Chandler's Ford Dovetail Centre: touch to open door
Chandler’s Ford Dovetail Centre: touch to open door

Family area

There is also a dedicated family area with tub chairs and settee with low tables, toys and books. That area is well designed and will make family feeling very welcomed.

Thoughtful design at the Dovetail Centre Café.
Thoughtful design at the Dovetail Centre Café.

Children's play area Dovetail Centre Cafe

Television

I also noticed that now there is a big wall-mounted 55 inch TV. As Dovetail Centre is a very popular centre used by the community, the television is certainly a ‘must have’ modern feature for presentations in meetings. Luckily due to the size of the building, the television didn’t seem intrusive at all.

Dovetail Centre: a new, large television is useful for meetings.
Dovetail Centre: a new, large television is useful for meetings.

Official re-opening: Friday 22 September at 11.15am

The new Dovetail Centre and Dovetail Centre Café will formally be opened on Friday 22 September at 11.15am. The Mayor of Eastleigh Councillor Maureen Sollitt will be present, as will County Councillor Judith Grajewski and our MP Mr Steve Brine.

From The Link Magazine, September 2017, Chandler's Ford Methodist Church.
From The Link Magazine, September 2017, Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church.

Dovetail Centre Cafe open

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Jane Archer – A Simple Vision, and 37 Years Leading The Coffee Room at Dovetail Centre How Methodist Church Dovetail Centre Surprises Me Refurbishment for a Modern and Contemporary Dovetail Centre at the Methodist Church Rev. Peter Cornick, Minister of Chandler's Ford Methodist Church.Rev. Peter Cornick: On Muslim Conference at Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church New Messy Church at Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church
Tags: Chandler's Ford, Christianity, church, coffee shop, community, Dovetail Centre, history, local interest, Methodist Church, news, review, Winchester Road

About Janet Williams

I created Chandler's Ford Today. I use this website to share our passions and inspiring stories, to build a connected community. We inform, educate and enlighten. We share resources.

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  1. September and October Events in Chandler's Ford - Chandler's Ford Today says:
    September 9, 2017 at 5:08 pm

    […] Dovetail Centre and Dovetail Centre Café: Official re-opening on Friday 22 September at 11.15am. The Mayor of Eastleigh Councillor Maureen Sollitt will be present, as will County Councillor Judith Grajewski and our MP Mr Steve Brine. […]

    Reply
  2. Re-opening of the Dovetail Centre: the Place to engage and share, and Fight Loneliness says:
    September 23, 2017 at 9:16 pm

    […] morning, a few of us from Chandler’s Ford Today attended the unique ribbon-less re-opening ceremony of the Dovetail Centre at the Methodist Church. It was a warm and friendly place as usual, buzzing with […]

    Reply
  3. Congratulations! It's a BEM for Caroline Husain from Chandler's Ford says:
    December 31, 2017 at 4:27 pm

    […] knew Caroline through the Methodist Church’s Coffee Room (now the Dovetail Centre Café) 16 years ago, and in recent years, I’ve got to know more about Caroline through her passion […]

    Reply
  4. Dovetail Art Project with Revd David Hollingsworth - Chandler's Ford Today says:
    January 20, 2018 at 9:37 pm

    […] Transformation: Dovetail Centre and Dovetail Centre Café […]

    Reply

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