AN OLDHAM park cafe has closed months earlier than planned.

Pure Coffee in Dunwood Park was set to remain open until July – but staff finding new jobs have left the operators no choice but to close early.

It means visitors to the Shaw park are having to adapt to life without a cafe – until a new tenant arrives. 

Pure Coffee in Dunwood Park was set to remain open until July – but it closed unexpectedly at the end of March, with the cafe giving away free cake as a thank you to their loyal customers.

The cafe had been operated by Pure Innovations, a Stockport-based charity that supports people with disabilities, since 2019.

The charity also runs the Boathouse Cafe in Alexandra Park as well as many other activities across the borough, including woodworking in Chadderton, a Gardening Hub in Alexandra Park, and even catering lessons.

On Facebook, Shaw resident Kathleen Sladen commented on the shock announcement: “I’m sorry I won’t be able to go, but I wish you all good luck for the future and you’ll be missed x”.

Anne Brown wrote: “Thanks very much for the delicious cakes and hot chocolates that have fuelled my walks.”

McGrother Community Building –  the site of the former cafe – is now being advertised under a three-year lease on the council’s website.

With a deadline of Friday, April 8, interested parties need to act quickly to fill the building.

Disabled employees had not been attracted to working in the Dunwood Park cafe during the pandemic, leading to the decision to close it.

Stuart Brierley, finance director of Pure Innovations, told The Oldham Times the cafe was left unable to operate after staff moved on.

He said: “Staff had found other jobs elsewhere, thankfully in some regards, which meant that we were unable to staff it after the end of March.”

Having mixed feelings about the closure, he said he was glad all staff had managed to get jobs, adding: “No redundancies, the fact staff have been able to find positions elsewhere relatively quickly is good news in many respects.”