Wilfrid's Cafe in Droxford to reopen early next year following licence dispute

Wilfrid’s Cafe, located in the annexe of St.Mary and All Saints’ Church, Droxford, closed its doors earlier this month following ‘obstacles.’

The cafe, which was in operation for the past six years, said ‘the café’s existence has been under threat since the Friends of Droxford Church (FODC) revoked our licence in August.’

A post on social media explained: “We had sincerely hoped that, with the help and support of the community and the Parochial Church Council (PCC), we would find a way to stay open.

“However, the obstacles put in the way of this by the FODC have proved too much and so we are being forced to move out.”

Following the closure announcement, the Friends of Droxford Church (FODC) have published a statement surrounding the dispute, saying the cafe closed amid licence agreement issues.

A spokesperson for Friends of Droxford Church said: “FODC would like to clarify its position following recent challenges involving Droxford Community Hub (DCH). Under this arrangement, FODC provided the space for DCH to run the café under licence.

“Wilfrid’s Café can only operate under a licence that follows charity law. Those requirements are set by the Charity Commission and by our donors, and they apply to both FODC and DCH. They cannot be changed or overridden.”

The hub requested to make changes to its existing agreement, transferring ‘full decision making control of the cafe surplus’ to DHC, which was refused by FODC.

The spokesperson added: “There were conversations about mediation. After listening to feedback from the village, FODC offered mediation on August 14 so all parties could explore a constructive way forward. We have not had direct correspondence from DCH since 27th August, and this offer was not taken up.

“As mediation was not taken up and DCH confirmed it wished to continue challenging the terms of the licence, FODC had no option but to bring the current licence to an end.”

Despite the closure, the Friends of Droxford Church have confirmed the cafe is due to reopen on January 6 following planned building improvements. The venue will continue to operate within the existing charitable framework.