A Kenilworth Christian café and shop is to have its last day of trading on Saturday May 29, 17 years after serving its first customer.

Registered charity, The King's Table, 44 Warwick Road, has taken the decision to close as a result of financial pressures as well as the increasing difficulty in recruiting volunteers.

Whilst the shop is currently open, the café hopes to serve customers one last time, from Tuesday, May 18 following the next stage of the government's roadmap out of lockdown

The café first began in 2004 as a weekly open day in the hall of St Francis of Assisi Church on Warwick Road where hot meals were served.

The community continued to grow and in 2008 permanent premises were acquired on the high street and the Fairtrade shop 'Juteronomy' was absorbed into the business.

Since then The King's Table has been a permanent fixture in Kenilworth, with a group of dedicated volunteers and customers.

Speaking to Kenilworth Nub News, founding member Karen Mills said: "Everything has its season; I think for the trustees of The King's Table they were beginning to think about how the charity would move forward.

"There were some financial pressures and the business relies very heavily on volunteers, but with the additional pressure of Covid and an opportunity to break the lease, it was decided that that was the most sensible thing to do."

Thanking the volunteers

Whilst the charity will lament the closure of the business, the focus really was one of positivity, looking back at nearly two decades of success.

"It has been a tremendous thing really for life in Kenilworth," says Karen.

"Right from the beginning there were at least 100 people involved. And there are still some volunteers who came on that very first day who are still working with us.

"It is fantastic the community that has been created, with the volunteers supporting one another and it was what we were trying to achieve.

"We would like to say a huge thank you to all the volunteers and all of our loyal customers."

The café was last open on November 4 last year, having to close due to the national lockdowns.

With around 40 volunteer shifts to fill each week, some volunteers were coming in more than once a week.

"There are a number of cases where The King's Table has been a real support network for people in difficult circumstances. It has given some people a reason to get up and get going on a daily basis.

"What a huge thing it has been, and what a blessing it has been to so many people.

"We really want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved, because without their contributions big and small we couldn't have done it."