Family breathes new life into historic wharf

A family-run food firm has helped breathe new life into a historic canal wharf by donating three colourful benches to its cafe.

Harlech Foodservice gifted the recycled plastic seats to the Welldeck Cafe at Wappenshall Wharf near Telford with a major restoration project by Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust under way.

The donation has strengthened Harlech’s family links with the cafe where sisters Susie Thomas and Libby Biddulph work as volunteers.

The company, which has a base in Telford, is run by their niece Laura Foskett and nephews Andrew and Jonathan Foskett. They decided to donate the benches after hearing the cafe needed more outdoor seating for visitors enjoying the restored wharf.

Andrew Foskett, joint chairman of Harlech Foodservice, said: "Our family has such a lovely close link to the project, with the cafe being a customer, our aunties volunteering there, and it is in an area where our family are originally from.

“It is just wonderful to be able to invest into the locality and into such a great cause and such a fantastic restoration project.”

Susie and Libby started volunteering at the cafe following the death of their mother Dorothy Edwards, aged 102, who was known affectionately as Granny Dot. In her later years, Dorothy lived with her daughter Susie in Admaston and Libby, who also lives in the village, would visit every day.

Some income raised from the cafe is reinvested into the restoration project at Wappenshall Wharf being carried out by the Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust over the last 20 years.

The Grade II listed buildings at Wappenshall Wharf date back to the 1830s and were originally built alongside the Shrewsbury Canal, which first opened in 1797.

The Welldeck Cafe was created within the site's restored smaller warehouse and enjoyed a Royal seal of approval in May when The Duke of Gloucester visited for lunch and heard more about the restoration programme.

The cafe is run by Kal Wood and her daughter Ellie who have been loyal customers of Harlech for many years and used them in other cafes they have owned.

The larger warehouse at the wharf is being restored and will provide a visitor centre and exhibition space. There is also a community garden and a restored canal basin at the visitor destination.

Andrew said: "The wharf has been dormant for many years, and it is amazing to see how the volunteers have been resurrecting the site. It is a great initiative, because it is such an important heritage site and we need to breathe life into these places to sustain them.

"We need to protect these heritage sites for future generations, and we want Harlech Foodservice to play its part in that.

“As a company, we are always keen to support good causes in all the areas we supply including Shropshire, We support food banks in Telford for example, as part of our environmental and social governance. The benches are made from recycled plastic which fits in with Harlech Foodservice's commitment to be as environmentally responsible as possible, using sustainable products.

Sue said: "At the cafe you get a lovely mixture of people of all ages, backgrounds and interests, and there is an amazing group of volunteers. I am delighted Harlech are supporting the cafe, and we just know Gill and Col would be proud of the donation.”

Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust chairman Bernie Jones said: "We are absolutely delighted with the fact that Harlech Foodservice have sponsored these very necessary benches. The benches have enabled us to expand seating for our new cafe, which has been tremendously successful, and we just wouldn't have enough seating without them.

"The cafe attracts customers to the cafe who often ask about the second warehouse we have here, the much bigger one, that we are working on to restore. That building will become a visitor centre that celebrates the life of Thomas Telford, the famous Scottish engineer.

“Having people come to the cafe allows us to tell people about our renovation plans for the other building and often leads to them making donations towards the work.”

Pictured: From left, Bernie Jones, Kal Wood, Andrew Foskett, Harlech Foodservice account manager Debbie Nicholls, Sue Foskett, Ellie Wood, Libby Biddulph, Susie Thomas, Laura Foskett