The BBC's Voices project worked alongside the Friendship Café to take its refurbishment plans forward. Work started in October 2003. Here the café organisers tell their story. HISTORY Although the community of Barton and Tredworth had been consulted many times and voiced their need for a local community centre nothing happened and so it was only through the opportunism of GymNation and the goodwill of the GPs at Bartongate Surgery that the Friendship Café came to be in October 2001.  | | The Friendship Cafe brings different nationalities together |
The idea behind the Friendship Café is to provide a meeting place and starting point for the numerous fledgling groups in the area. Gloucestershire Action for Asylum Seekers and Refugees (GARAS) is a key partner in this plan and also been very helpful and supportive towards the running of the café. GARAS is an independent charity, the sole agency providing an all round support and advocacy and social service specifically for asylum seekers and refugees. Because of the lack of any significant funding from the statutory bodies, the Friendship Café operates almost entirely through volunteers.  | | GARAS provides support and advice for refugees and asylum seekers |
Occasionally grants are made available and GymNation will apply on behalf of the other groups and the money invested into improvements. GymNation has now been acting as an umbrella group leading on the project and in 2002 enlisted the help of two HND students from GlosCAT to design the planned interior of the building to facilitate a community café, a social meeting place and a private meeting area. The idea is to create a virtual 21st century community meeting place accessible to all ages and groups in the Barton/Tredworth area. Currently the BartonGate Surgery has plans to develop the centre so it is up to the users and interested groups to make the changes, both in physical and support to allow the groups and users to enjoy the space themselves. THE FUTURE  | | The gloomy interior of the Friendship Cafe is being transformed |
Now work has begun on giving the gloomy 1970s building that houses the Friendship Cafe a more friendly look. It is getting an updated frontage, new windows to provide natural light, a revamped kitchen and cafe and being refurbished and redecorated throughout. Currently more than 200 people use the venue each week, ranging from more than 40 different nationalities, and the groups are as diverse as women raising fund for victims of the Iraq crisis to young men playing pool and PlayStation to pass the time. If you would like to help the Friendship Cafe project call the BBC Radio Gloucestershire Action Desk on 01452 331133 or email simon.williams.01@bbc.co.uk | 
