Bearsted Woodland Trust (BWT)’s award-winning charitable green space, a benchmark for national community-led park projects, is now hosting a new on-site refreshment venture.
Local entrepreneurs Ceri Porter and Neil Burrill opened their new refreshment venture, The Petite Retreat, in July. Located near to BWT’s Church Landway main entrance and based in a converted vintage Citroen van, the venture is selling hot and cold drinks, including barista coffee, specialist flavour teas and smoothies, as well as pastries, sausage rolls, cakes, muffins and other snacks. It is open every day from 10-4pm.
The refreshment venture marks another development in BWT’s community involvement. During the early part of 2024 BWT began providing a base for an under-7s football team from MPE FC, based in Madginford. The youngsters play all their home matches on a specially prepared junior-sized pitch.
BWT Management Committee Deputy Chair, Adrian Bouwens said: ‘We were delighted to be able to welcome MPE FC to BWT earlier this year and now we have this new refreshment venture.
‘Community outreach is an important part of our mission and we work closely with a number of local organisations representing all age groups. We organise regular school visits and having this under-7 team based here, as well as being able to welcome this local new refreshment venture, strengthens our community involvement even more.’