Thank you so much for your custom and support
On a cold February weekend in 2018 a little vintage Citroen van called Henri drove into the visitor car park at Belvoir Castle for the very first time and served coffee and cakes to the good folk of the Vale of Belvoir. Henri, Mark, Claire and Ella spent a lovely Spring/Summer there at weekends, extending our service and welcoming more and more customers. Roll forwards 15 months and Café Allez! Belvoir Castle opened in the former ticket office in the same car park. We were proud to serve you all and whilst we are sad to have had to leave our lovely (albeit temporary) home we take with us some fabulous friendships and memories.
A huge thank you to you all, be you customers or our lovely team members, for three very memorable and happy years.
Below is a look back at some of the great memories...
The first parkrun
We were instrumental in bringing Belvoir Castle parkrun to life. Parkruns are free, five-kilometre events, that everyone is welcome to run, jog or walk – just don’t forget your barcode!
With generous funding from Belvoir Castle, we launched in January 2022 and parkrun continues at Belvoir Castle every Saturday morning at 9am.
Huge thanks to the team of dedicated volunteers who continue to make this event possible every week.
Le Challez!
The COVID pandemic led us to reimagine almost every aspect of Café Allez! Belvoir Castle. As a result, we created a space where people felt safe and welcome throughout some very challenging times. One such change was the addition of Le Challez!, our giant gazebo, complete with festoon lighting, heating and blankets. This became a haven for walkers, castle visitors and cyclists alike.
The Team
We firmly believe that we had the best team in the business. We are still in touch with many of our team and are so proud of all that they go on to achieve.
Pictured here are the team on our very first day, Annabel, second from right, was also there on the very last day of trading too!
Our team were fabulous to the very end and worked so hard to ensure that we were Café Allez! to the very last day. They also took time to give Mark and Claire a great send off too!
The Views
Who could ever forget the fabulous view from Café Allez! Belvoir Castle and sometimes the sunsets even made the clean down a pleasure.
Farewell to Café Allez! Belvoir Castle
We couldn’t go without saying goodbye! On March 28th 2022 we were delighted to be joined by scores of regulars, all determined to say a fond farewell to Café Allez! Belvoir Castle. Richard gave a moving speech thanking the team for all they had done to build a welcoming and inclusive space for the whole community. Thank you to all of you, including those who couldn’t attend this event for your part in our story.