• THE community café at Paradise Park Children’s Centre, which has been a place of safety and support for many of us going through hard times, was suddenly closed in May due to funding cuts.

The café has been a huge support to me and many other mums in difficult situations. There was widespread shock and anger when it closed.

I am a single mum of a four-year-old. I first started going to the café when I was pregnant. I had no family in the UK to help me and was in a difficult situation. My partner harassed me, to the point of needing a restraining order to protect me and my daughter.

I was all alone, overwhelmed, really tearful. I was a mess. I had little hope for our future but plenty of love for my beautiful daughter. I just did not know how to cope with it all.

Then I found the café and I got help from the amazing staff. This is not just a normal café where you get food and drinks – it’s a place where they welcome you. It feels like home.

Sarah and Lisa have supported so many mums like me – signposting us to services to help us, listening to us, hugging us when we cried. Without them I would not be the mum I am now and my daughter would not be such a happy child. There are many other mums like me who the café has helped.

When the closure was announced I stayed inside my flat crying for three days. Then I decided to start a petition on change.org to keep the café open. So far, we have 600 online and 500 paper signatures.

A big group of parents have started to work together and two great mums came up with a business proposal to save the café through fundraising and volunteering there ourselves.

After pressure from parents, Islington Play Association, which runs the café, reopened it on Tuesday, but only for two afternoons a week until the end of August (Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon till 4.30pm).

This short-term plan relies on us finding enough volunteers to help with the washing up and serving in the café on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. We urgently need more volunteers. Please contact us at save.our.cafe@gmail.com if you can help.

From September, the funding situation will decrease again. We are looking for financial support from businesses and trusts to help us keep it open for the longer term, so many other mums like me will get the help and support that I did.

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