Ditton Priors Community Land Trust

01/07/2024

Willow’s Reopening!

The CLT board is very excited to announce that The Willows Cafe will be reopening soon!

After an extensive search, we can reveal that The Willows will soon be reopened by Ditton Priors resident, Tom Hughes. Tom, who has lived in the village for the past two years, has been in catering for over three decades and is passionate about fresh food, sustainability and locally-sourced produce.

Tom has a wealth of expertise at his fingertips, having trained under celebrity chef Jean Christoph Novelli in London, where he also worked at other notable eateries including the famous Langans Brasserie. He’s cooked for international celebrities, sports stars and royalty – including King Charles!

Tom, alongside his wife Sarah, have some exciting plans for the future of the café and a schedule of refurbishment and redecoration is underway. We very much hope that we and Tom will meet his desired opening day of July 24th and that he will be able to confirm this soon.

We can’t wait to see the doors reopen at this vital community asset and hope to see you there!

18/06/2024

Bethphage have advised the Ditton Priors Community Land Trust that they have purchased new premises in the Chelmarsh area, near Bridgnorth and will be moving their Day-Care operations from Oak Farm.The timing has yet to be agreed but at that point Bethphage will surrender their lease on Oak Farm, as yet Shropshire County Council have not indicated whether or not they would be interested in taking out a new lease on Oak Farm due to the authority being in Purdah until after the general election. After the 4 th July the CLT will be in discussion with both Bethphage and SCC to clarify their respective positions. Further updates will be posted as soon as information is received, if any major changes are envisaged for the Oak Farm Site in the future, the ideas and views of the community will be invited.
DPCLT Board of Directors

29/05/2024

The Community Land Trust is very pleased and excited to announce that provisional terms have been agreed with a new Licensee to operate the Willows Café. Full details cannot be confirmed until the week commencing 3rd of June but it is great news that the future of the café has been secured with someone who has great plans to restore its place at the heart of the community.
At this stage the reopening is planned for mid-July. This will obviously be a long wait for fans and friends of the Willows but there is a lot to be done by the new Licensee and the CLT will be taking the opportunity to carry out essential refurbishment.

25/04/2024

12/04/2024

The Ditton Priors Community Land Trust are having their AGM on Saturday 27th April at 2pm. It is an opportunity to hear updates on what has been happening at the site including Oak Farm, the Willows Cafe and future plans, as well as a short presentation on future activities.
There will be refreshments and a chance to view the site after the meeting. We look forward to seeing you there.

27/03/2024

As you know we are saying goodbye to Jake and Emma this weekend when they leave the Willows café after 6 years of providing us with excellent food and coffee and a great place to meet and eat.
There will be a small send-off (Coffee and Cakes) at the Cafe this Saturday, the 30th March from 2pm-4pm. Some of the CLT Board members will be there and will be pleased to update everyone on progress in finding new tenants. It is an opportunity to express our thanks and give Emma and Jake our good wishes for the future and we would love to hear what matters to you in the development of our favourite café.

02/03/2024

Its with great sadness that the board of the Ditton Priors Community Land Trust were informed by Jake&Emma, who run the Willows Cafe in the village on our behalf, who have announced their decision to move on at the end of this month and focus on other activities and challenges. I think we all agree that they both have served the community greatly, especially during the Covid pandemic, and we will be sad to see them go. The Board of the Community Land Trust would like to thank them for their help in making the cafe a hub of the village and a go to destination for many people outside of the area. We are now looking for someone to take on the opportunity of taking over the cafe and continuing its excellent reputation.
If anybody is interested in taking over the cafe please contact the CLT on the following email addresses.
[email protected]
[email protected]

17/10/2023

We have a work party this Saturday afternoon at 1:30pm in the community orchard.
We will be removing the ground elder and docs around the trunks of the trees. If you can make it please bring a fork or spade and some gloves..

25/03/2023

Don’t forget the community land trust open day and site walk at 2pm today at the village hall… including free cake!!

19/03/2023

The Ditton Priors Community Land Trust is holding an open day next Saturday 25th March at 2pm.. meeting at the village hall for a quick presentation on what the CLT is about, a tour of the site followed by free cake from the willows and refreshments .. hope to see you there!!

25/02/2023

If you are new to the village and want to learn about the history of the Village the pop down to see Bob Handley at the Heritage centre and Rhona and Graham at the local history group who use facilities next to the Willows cafe provided by the Ditton Priors Land Trust..