A NEW coffee shop in Redhouse will give the local community a place to meet and somewhere budding artists can show off their work.

Justin Tomlinson MP was the special guest at the official opening of Kingdom Coffee House on Isambard Way.

It opened its doors in mid-May and, after a successful trial period, Mr Tomlinson and some Swindon borough councillors went along to cut the ribbon and have a cuppa.

He said: “I first visited the coffee shop as a customer a few weeks ago after noticing it online.

“This is a fantastic and much-needed addition to the community, offering not just coffee and cakes but community events and workshops, too.

“I’ve no doubt it will be a very busy heart of the community.

“The Swindon councillors and I are thrilled that we are opening this.

“I’ve represented this community for 18 years, some as a councillor and some as an MP, and as amazing as it is, it was lacking a facility like this where people could meet up.

“I love the hazelnut coffee and that alone is more than enough reason to make it a pleasure to officially open this coffee shop.”

Kirsty Cummings, who manages the business with Sue Offord, said: “It’s been very busy – we’ve even got regulars now, which is great.

“We’re all about building up relationships with people in the community.

“Everybody has been so nice about us, we always welcome them with a smile.

“This unit has been empty for over four years and we’ve had so many people saying that having a coffee shop here is a great idea.

“All our cakes are homemade, this is like my home kitchen, I spend so much time in here.

“We also have volunteers helping out and we can offer them qualifications and jobs as a barista.

“This is very exciting, now is the right time to have our official opening and get our name out there.”

Sue’s husband Chris is a barista at the cafe and an artist who is part of its Kingdom Arts Foundation.

The foundation aims to mentor new artists, create learning platforms and workshops for people in the area, and help artists get their foot in the door at galleries and exhibitions.

Jasmine Sara has her work on display in the cafe.

She said: “A friend of mine came in here for coffee and saw the beautiful paintings on the wall.

“She knew that I’d been struggling to get my work exhibited in galleries so she suggested I speak to Chris.

“What he and the foundation offered was exactly what I was looking for, which was very exciting.

“As someone very new to the industry, I didn’t know where to begin and it was difficult to figure it all out, so having some who could help me along and encourage me was really helpful and motivating.”