Play Equipment at Beacon Church Pheasey Youth and Community Coffee Shop

This is a project to instal outside play equipment and raised planting beds at the Beacon Church Pheasey Youth and Community Coffee Shop.

Recently a significant refurbishment project has taken place at Beacon Church Pheasey to set up a Youth and Community Coffee shop, called 3:16 Coffee, in the reception area of the church building. There is a lack of community provision on the estate, especially for young people and families. To complement the community work happening through the coffee shop the plan is to instal play equipment and raised planting beds for younger children to use in a contained garden area linked to the coffee shop.

Around three years ago a consultation was carried out with the local schools and community identifying a lack of community provision for people to meet together, especially young people, in a more informal way. There is significant isolation as a result and young people feel the need to either hang around outside local shops, which can lead to anti-social behaviour, or to travel elsewhere. As a result, it was decided to use the church building to address this issue by creating an informal coffee shop social space for the community to gather, grow friendships, tackle isolation and build cohesion.

After fundraising £120,000, 3:16 Coffee opened in November 2025. The space is somewhere safe for younger people and families to gather, and, in due course, the revenues will be used to employ a youth and family worker in the coffee shop to be alongside those using the space to offer support and guidance. There is a small, contained garden area which is ideal for younger children to use to play in, which would benefit them in building relationships, and the adults who would be able to relax and spend time with others in the coffee shop, knowing their children are safely playing outside.
Environmental considerations: The wider project has involved insulating the building and installing double glazing as well as other environmental measures and the church is working with a national Church of England funding scheme to instal Air Source Heat Pumps. The outside area is intended to help children discover a love of nature and outdoor spaces which they will hopefully carry forward into adulthood. This is why the raised planting beds are a key part of the outdoor area where children can plant flowers and vegetables and help cultivate them when they visit.

Hard to reach considerations: The whole project is based around tackling isolation and making provision for young people to socialise in a safe community space. These are both identified as 'hard to reach' members of the community. The church spends a significant amount of time working with the local schools to build up relationships with young people and putting on free community events that are open to all. These have been successful endeavours and good relationships have been built. This proposal is an extension of that work.