A COMMUNITY café is set to be launched inside a former Somerset pub in the bid to help people during the winter months.
Wellington Town Council has announced they will be running an expanded version of the Wellington Warm Welcome Café.
The warm café has been popular with the people of Wellington and surrounding areas ever since it was launched earlier this year inside a former pub.
An opening date has been set for the café, with the doors expected to open on Monday, January 5.
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The café will be at the former Kings Arms pub on the High Street, Wellington, which had stood empty for seven years. The pub was reopened as a community space in September 2025 thanks to works from Falcon Rural Housing Association.
The opening and running of this permanent space has been made possible thanks to a £12,000 grant from Somerset Community Foundation’s Help Through Winter Fund.
As part of the funding, the council has invested in new kitchen equipment.
"Wellington Warm Welcome Café will be opening on Monday, January 5," said a spokesperson from Wellington Town Council.
"Wellington Town Council is delighted to share that we’ve been awarded £12,000 from Somerset Community Foundation’s Help Through Winter Fund to support local residents through the colder months.
"This funding will help us run an expanded Warm Welcome Café at the King’s Arms Community Hub, offering a friendly space, hot drinks, light lunches, and wellbeing activities every Monday, Wednesday and Friday throughout winter."
Everyone is welcome to enter and enjoy what the café will have to offer. The council says no booking is needed, just drop in.
A council spokesperson added: "To make this possible, the council has also invested in new kitchen equipment at the hub.
"This will allow us not only to deliver the Warm Welcome Café but also to support additional community activities and future projects throughout the year.
"We’re proud to strengthen the support available in Wellington and create warm, safe, social spaces for those who need it most."
The council has confirmed that more details will be coming soon, including menu updates and an activities list.
The former pub space is also a donation point for an annual Christmas campaign - Be A Santa - which aims to deliver Christmas cheer and gifts to older adults in the community who are sick, vulnerable, or spending Christmas alone.
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