Minstead Trust, a charity whose cafés give work to neuro-disabled people, takes over the Churchill Gardens café in Boscombe from Joy Café in January 2027.

The community café in Churchill Gardens, Boscombe, will have a new operator in the new year. Minstead Trust, a charity that supports neuro-disabled people, takes over from January 2027.

BCP Council announced the decision on 14 September on its parks projects site. The trust won a tender for the lease of the café building, which sits in the middle of the park next to the children’s play area.

The current operator, Joy Café, has run it since the building opened in 2021. The council thanked the Joy Café team for “building up the café” and for their work with the community.

Why the café changed hands

The council put the lease out to tender in April. The response window closed on 26 June, and the lease on offer was for five years. At the time, the council expected the new lease to start this month. The handover is now set for January.

The council said the tender was “very competitive”, with strong bids from community organisations. It judged them on:

  • how well the operator would work with the local community
  • whether it could run a high-quality café in a relatively small building

The tender asked for hot food cooked to order, barista coffee, and healthy, gluten-free and vegan options. The new operator will also look after the “grow zone”, a set of raised beds next to the café, and supervise its use.

Who Minstead Trust are

Minstead Trust works to remove barriers for neuro-disabled people, including people with learning disabilities. Its social businesses include:

  • Lily & Lime, which runs cafés in Portsmouth, at the Central Library and at The View in Portsmouth City Council’s offices
  • the tearoom at Furzey Gardens in the New Forest
  • Hanger Farm, an arts venue with a café
  • Real Jam & Chutney Company

The trust says each business encourages neuro-disabled people to take on roles in it, and that the profits go back into creating more work placements.

None of the cafés listed on the trust’s own sites are in Bournemouth, so Churchill Gardens looks set to be its first here.

The play area next door

The café change lands alongside work on the play area. The council says funding has been found to “significantly improve” it through its Plan for Play programme, in phases.

As we reported when the programme’s dates were published, the first phase has £60,000 and is due to start in early October. It is expected to finish in mid-November.

What it means for you

  • The new operator starts in January 2027. The council has not published the date the current arrangement ends, or said whether the café will close for a changeover.
  • Play area work starts in early October. Phase one is due to finish in mid-November.
  • If you use the grow zone, the new operator will be responsible for it from January.

The café’s address is Churchill Gardens, Boscombe, BH1 4ES.