DWLINDING customer numbers have forced a mother-daughter duo to bid a fond farewell to running the St Marks Pavilion café today after two years at the helm.

Eva and Tyla Millard took over the running of the café at Swindon Community Tennis grounds in Gorse Hill when the site was given a half a million revamp back in 2015.

But in the two years that followed, the joint venture between the pair and the registered charity SCT has become financially unviable as not enough customers are visiting the café outside the summer months.

Despite the farewell being tinged with sadness, Eva, 52 said she will be leaving with many memories and friends she has made along the way.

“The last two years have been amazing,” she said.

“We have regulars who come in every week and people are gutted that we are closing.

“We have really tried to make the café community focussed and a lot of people who come here don’t have a lot else.

“One of the nicest things that we’ve seen over the last two years are the babies. The amount of children that have been born and grown up in front of us is so nice and quite lovely actually.”

As well as being open at various times during the week, the pavilion café is quite the hotspot for older residents with a Friday lunch club and Sunday dinners.

And while many may be worried that they won’t be able to have their weekly meet at the café anymore, the charitable trust in charge of it is hoping to bring back some catering provision soon.

Eva added: “We have made the Friday lunch club quite inclusive so that it is not segregated to one group of people. We have told people that everyone must accept people as they are and I think there is a strong community here and having this place for people to come makes it stronger.

“We have really enjoyed the last two years and we will take it with us as well as the memory book because that gives us something to take away forever.”

One customer who will be sad to see the café go is Tanya Daglish who visits weekly with her son Aaron, seven.

“As a family, we love coming over here for a drink and a chat and we have made really good friends so it is such a shame to see it close,” she said.

“It is quite a unique place for the area and I can’t think of anywhere else close enough for us to go that has all of these facilities.

“When there is a fun day here in the summer, having the café open for a drink is such a help with the children.”

Eva and Tyla haven’t yet decided what their next venture will be but have promised to keep in touch with all of the great friends they have made.

Tim Poole, chairman of the Swindon Community Tennis group said the decision to close the café was mutual.

He added: “We take our obligations to the community seriously and we are actively seeking ways to ensure the pavilion itself is open for longer hours and with some form of catering provision in the future but in a way that is sustainable. We aim to have something in place for the school summer holidays.”