Sister Act at Haldon's new cafe

Sisters Nicola and Lisa Jameson are celebrating after being appointed franchisees of the new café at the Forestry Commission's Haldon Forest Park, near Exeter.

The Ridge will open its doors just before Easter and will be serving healthy local produce seven days a week, all year round. The café is currently under construction by local construction firm Michael Thorne.

Nicola and Lisa, who are originally from Liverton, beat off stiff competition to take over the café and bring a wealth of experience to their new roles. Lisa owned her own restaurant in Sidmouth for five years, which she sold two years ago. Nicola has a background in floristry and horticulture as well as experience in commercial design.

Both are regular visitors to Haldon with their families and live locally - Lisa is based in Sidmouth and Nicola in Chudleigh.

Lisa says:

“We have watched the developments at Haldon Forest Park over the last few years with interest, as it’s somewhere we love to visit. It is such an enchanting place and when we saw the opportunity to run the café, it just felt right for us. We see the café as being an integral part of the park’s future success and we are looking forward to working with the Forestry Commission and the other site partners, Forest Cycle Hire, Go Ape and CCANW to further enhance the offering to visitors.”

Nicola adds:

“Our vision for the café is for it to fully compliment the beautiful surroundings, provide excellent customer service and to serve high quality local produce. The interior will be welcoming with comfy seating and a wood burner and there will also be outside seating space. There will be an emphasis on healthy eating and we will be serving breakfast, lunch and tea every day. People can come for a full meal or just pop in for a drink and a snack. We will also be taking group bookings, hosting children’s parties and providing pic-nic hampers.”

Haldon Forest Park Manager, Louise Bell says:

“We received numerous applications to run the new café and went through a highly competitive tender process. We are delighted to now be working with Lisa and Nicola and we are confident that the café will be a huge success.”

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NOTES TO EDITOR

There is something for everyone at Haldon Forest Park. It is 3.500 acres of woodland, owned by the Forestry Commission, just fifteen minutes from Exeter. It is open every day and there are a range of walks and all ability trails, cycling trails as well as a wide range of events. Rangers are on hand daily to give advice and ensure people get the most out of their visit. In addition Forest Cycle Hire is based at Haldon, hiring out mountain bikes to visitors and facilitating groups of cyclists in the forest. Haldon Forest Park also hosts Go Ape, an award-winning high wire forest adventure course of rope bridges, tarzan swings and zip slides in the tree tops. The site is also home to the Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural World, an innovative organisation, which uses the arts to explore new understandings of our place within nature. They hold regular exhibitions and run educational events.
The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible in England for protecting, expanding and promoting the sustainable management of woods and forests and increasing their value to society and the environment. Forestry makes a real contribution to sustainable development, providing social and environmental benefits arising from planting and managing attractive, as well as productive, woodlands. Further information can be found at www.forestry.gov.uk/england
For further information please contact Kirstie Smith, Communications Manager, Forestry Commission on 01392 834249.