THE success of a community café has led to the opening of a second “branch”.

Buckrose Carrs Benefice opened a café in Rillington last September to act as a meeting point for people in the village.

Following its success, the Benefice has now launched a second café at the village hall in Sherburn, which opens on a weekly basis.

Reverend Joe Kinsella, vicar of St Andrew’s, Rillington, and the Buckrose Carrs Benefice, said: “The café in Rillington has been going really well, with all age groups coming along to enjoy a drink and a chat. We felt that there wasn’t much opportunity for the community to come together in Sherburn, particularly families with young children so decided to do something similar there as well.”

The café is open every Thursday in Sherburn Village Hall from 8.45am to 11.30am, with coffee, tea and cakes and facilities for children to play.

“The Benefice covers nine villages, so eventually we plan to do something in every one,” said Rev Kinsella. “A lot of rural areas no longer have community facilities so the aim is to recapture that so that every village has some kind of community hub.”