Published on: 02/03/2026
A weekly café at St Mary’s Bramall Lane is looking to become a hub for the local community, bringing together people from all walks of life and connecting them to the church.
The ‘Holy Toast Café’ is starting up this Wednesday (4 March) and will be open weekly from 10am-3pm. It’ll include artisan sandwiches, homemade soup, tray bakes and tea and coffee. Volunteers are helping to run the café alongside an on-site community cook. The team were successful in getting a Small Sparks Grant which helped to cover the cost of a coffee maker, panini machine and various items that were needed.
A café space had been part of the building at St Mary’s since renovations in 2000. It was the heart of hospitality at St Mary’s but sadly had to close during the Covid-19 pandemic. St Mary’s had a re think at the start of the year and decided to try and re-open the café space.
Rev Claire Dawson, Vicar of St Mary’s, said:
‘We’re hoping it becomes a real hub again of life in St Mary’s where lots of people can mix and can connect to St Mary’s. People are really excited about this. We have a number of tenants who have office spaces here and are really excited that the café is opening up again
‘It’s causing a bit of a buzz and people are looking forward to it. People miss the old café and quite often have asked us about getting it back. Once we’ve opened it, then there’s lots of things we can build on and so we’re hoping it will move in the right direction. We’re also grateful for the Small Sparks Grant, which was a really good way of linking into the Diocese and its wider vision and mission.’
A key part of the café is being a good first contact space for anyone who is new to the area, providing an outreach space and welcome for anyone who wants to know more about St Mary’s. It is hoped pop-up events within the café can be produced in the future with an international element, using some of the diverse skills and cuisines that are part of the wider life at the church.
Claire added:
‘If you’re in and around St Mary’s Bramall Lane on Wednesdays, pop in and you’ll get a warm welcome. This is a really positive move for the church and for reaching out to the wider community’.
The Small Sparks Grants offers an investment of Resourcing Mission and Ministry (RMM) consultation time and an injection of finance of between £500 to £2,000. If you have any questions or would like to find out more, contact: john.marsh@sheffield.anglican.org
