Anger as City of London closes 4 impartial outlets for cafe group | EUROtoday

A call handy over 4 independently run cafes in Hampstead Heath to a gaggle of Australian-inspired eateries has provoked “outrage” throughout the group, campaigners say.

Daisy Green has been chosen to run cafes at Queen’s Park, Golders Hill Park, Parliament Hill Lido and Parliament Hill Fields from spring 2026 by the City of London Corporation (CLC), which owns the land.

The cafes at Parliament Hill Lido and Queen’s Park are run by Kentish Town couple Patrick Matthews and Emma Fernandez, in addition to one in Highgate Wood, which may additionally change arms.

The Italian cafe at Parliament Hill Fields has been run by the D’Auria household for 45 years.

On Friday, all present operators have been advised they must quit their cafes by the top of January.

The CLC stated Daisy Green will convey “upgraded menus, improved facilities and welcoming spaces”, and decide to affordability, sustainability and partnering with native suppliers.

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Ms Fernandez and Mr Matthews have run Parliament Hill Lido Cafe, whose clients embrace actors Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy, for 10 years.

Ms Fernandez, 49, stated she is “devastated” by the information, including: “We created a real community hub. The City of London Corporation are just destroying this fabric which is holding together the community.”

She and her husband have used the cafe as an area to host group occasions, together with a youngsters’s puppet present, and to show the work of native artists, who exhibit and promote there without spending a dime.

The couple are additionally involved that the takeover will put jobs in danger. Their three cafes make use of round 50 members of employees throughout the summer time and 30 over the winter.

Ms Fernandez stated: “Honestly, I have no idea what I’m going to do. It’s the one thing that I love to do, that I know how to do, and I feel so rooted here.”

Their youngsters, Selene, 11, and Esmee, 9, are acquainted faces on the cafe and luxuriate in serving to out throughout the faculty holidays.

“It’s horrible for them,” Mrs Fernandez stated. “They were born here, they were brought up here. It’s like a family here; they know the customers, they know the (lido) staff.

“When I ask them what they want to do later in life, they always say, ‘I want to work at the lido with you’. Now it’s all shattered.”

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She added: “We’re not here trying to make money. We’re here because we love it and we work with our hearts.”

Mr Matthews, 72, added: “I thought it was inconceivable that we wouldn’t get the Lido Cafe. It’s natural justice – we took it from nothing, and we made something that wasn’t there beforehand.

“We feel that we’ve created something and now someone else is going to enjoy whatever financial benefit there is from it. We took the risk, they’ve got the reward.”

Lido common Kate Orr, 56, from Camden, stated: “There are a lot of people who come here who are really struggling with their mental health or are lonely, or who don’t quite fit in in the world, or who don’t have much money.

“This is the most tolerant and inclusive place … This is the strongest sense of community I’ve had in my 56 years by a long way.

“The cafe is genuinely part of that community.”

“You need a cafe that’s affordable,” stated Imogen West, 56, from Hampstead Heath, “you can get a really good meal for £10.50, where else can you get that?

“This area is a real mix of people who do have money and people who don’t. This place serves all of those people. It’s more than a job (for Mr Williams and Ms Fernandez) – it’s a way of life.”

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Journalist Stefan Simanowitz, 49, stated he’s outraged by the choice and can proceed to struggle it.

He spearheaded a “save our cafes” marketing campaign, which included a petition signed by greater than 20,000 folks and was supported by Cumberbatch, McAvoy and fellow actor Stephen Campbell Moore.

In August, Cumberbatch advised the Camden New Journal: “This is about people and not profit. It’s vital that we stand up for people who run businesses that serve the community, to preserve the livelihoods of individuals who have been crafting relationships with their customers.”

In 2016, the same retendering course of was tried at Parliament Hill Cafe, however espresso chain Benugo dropped out of the takeover following protests backed by Sir Keir Starmer, MP for Holborn and St Pancras, who’s now Prime Minister.

Mr Simanowitz stated he hopes Daisy Green might make the same choice.

Prue Freeman, co-founder of Daisy Green, stated the corporate is “delighted” to have been chosen.

Ms Freeman stated: “As an independent London-based business, we are proud of our long-standing support of local suppliers and charities, providing family-friendly activities, and running environmentally responsible operations.

“We want these cafes to remain welcoming spaces where everyone feels included and connected to these very special spaces.”