Porthcawl cycling-themed café on road to success

A new cycling-friendly café in Porthcawl is on the road to success with the help of a ‘Kick-start’ grant from Bridgend County Borough Council and UK Steel Enterprise. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Opened only a few months ago with the help of £1,000 from the kick-start fund, The Broom Wagon café on Station Hill has already attracted a wide range of clientele from both the local community and visitors to the seaside town. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The café which serves teas, coffees, home-made cakes and light meals is open seven days a week. It also caters for keen cyclists by providing bike locks, track pumps with spare tubes and C02 canisters to purchase. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Owner Susan Longthorn describes the style of the café as “shabby chic”, and believes the business is fulfilling a demand in the town. She and husband Paul spent considerable time researching and identifying the needs of the local residents and visitors and discovered a gap in the market for this type of offer. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Susan said: “We are aiming to cater for the whole community; we’re child-friendly, we welcome local groups, cyclists and any visitors the town. Our aim is to go the extra mile to offer people an enjoyable experience.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Traditional Sunday lunches are also served as well as cooked breakfasts. Customers can even bring their own wine, for a small corkage charge. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

When asked about the name of the café, Susan said: “Paul is a very keen cyclist and we were keen to give the new venture a cycling theme. The name refers to the vehicle which follows a cycling race, collecting the stragglers.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Andrea Hewett of UK Steel Enterprise said: “We are delighted to support The Broom Wagon which is providing a service to the local community and we wish it every success.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Councillor Charles Smith, the council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “This local business is another great example of why the Kick-start grant was put in place, giving start-up or new businesses a helping hand when developing their products and services. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“As a keen leisure and commuting cyclist myself, I welcome this cafe’s contribution to the cycling scene, while noting that it is also highly popular with non-cyclists. It’s a fantastic feature of the newly regenerated Station Hill area and I’m pleased to see that it’s thriving.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Broom Wagon has more information and regular updates on its Facebook and Twitter pages. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

To find out more about Bridgend County Borough Council’s support for local businesses, visit business.bridgend.gov.uk or call 01656 815313. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​