FORMER MOCOCO CAFE TO BECOME STARTER FLATS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

The former MoCoCo cafe in Wheelock Street, which closed in 2012, is to be converted into bedsits for young people.

Middlewich Community Church, which owns the building, says that the plan, first revealed last year when the cafe closed, is for  new flats which will  give adults up to the age of 25 the chance to live independently, with help from support workers.

Here's the full statement from MCC:

MCC still owns MoCoCo and have no plans to sell.
We as a church have used this building for youth and community work for the last ten years. Our heart is to continue using the building for similar work. Planning permission has been granted to convert much of the building into bedsits for young people as starter homes.
Eight self-contained units will be available for young adults up to age 25. We will provide mentoring and support to help these young adults learn to live independently. We will have a live-in warden/caretaker and/or support workers to provide extra help and support as required.
As a church we have been quietly doing this type of work within the Middlewich Community on and off for many years.
Please be assured that no one has anything to fear from supported housing for young people.
This facility will be well managed by a mixture of paid and volunteer staff who want to help young people live locally in a safe and secure environment.
We are currently fundraising and hope to open by the end of the year.
One retail unit will be maintained at the front of the building, final use yet to be determined.

David Moore.

(reproduced with permission)

SEE ALSO: THE OLD CROSVILLE GARAGE

                      MOCOCO CAFE TO CLOSE          

UPDATE (28th May 2014):
Work began on the conversion at the end of May 2014. 
Here's a report from our friends at the


ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 20th JUNE 2013
UPDATED 28th MAY 2014                                      

MOCOCO CAFE TO CLOSE on July 25th (ARCHIVED)

ARCHIVED

(DIARY ENTRY ARCHIVED 25/7/2012)

(This diary entry, announcing the closure of the Mococo Cafe facility has been left unaltered as a historical record - Ed)

It has been announced that the Mococo cafe in Wheelock Street will close on the 25th July.

Here's the full text of a statement from Middlewich Community Church.

After a strategic review of the life and ministry of MCC it is with some sadness that we find ourselves closing Mococo. 

In the present economic climate we have decided to concentrate all our youth and community work at our Brooks Lane facility.. All of the community Groups currently hosted / operated by MCC at Mococo (youth work, knit and natter, IT training, craft classes) will move up to the church complex over the summer months. This facility has more space and better parking, and brings all our work under one roof. For the time being the CAB (not a ministry of MCC) will still operate at Mococo on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Unfortunately the coffee shop in its present shape cannot be accommodated on Brooks lane at this time. We appreciate that our loyal customers ( young and old) will really miss Mococo. We wish to take this opportunity to thank the community for the privilege of serving them as MoCoCo (and previously Microchips) over the last 11 years. I also wish to thank our loyal staff: Amanda, Richard (Chocky), Jude and George who have provided our customers with far more than just food and coffee. We have helped the homeless find accommodation, prayed for people in times of need and distress, cried with them, laughed with them, counselled them and helped many people on their spiritual journey. It has been a privilege. 

I know all the mums and children who use the coffee shop as a meeting place are saddened at this news and will really miss our facilities. Can I encourage them to visit MCC where they will find a warm welcome at our various community and toddler groups, art classes, craft days, kids and carers days, fun days and IT training centre. We will be developing new groups that will cater for the whole family and our coffee machines will be moving too to serve all our various groups and conference guests. Watch this space for summer activities at MCC. 

With regards to the future use of the MoCoCo building it is our intension to seek planning permission to convert the building into starter flats for young people. Over the years our youth centre has helped young adults, especially the vulnerable, needy and carer leavers find accommodation. We hope to be able to provide six or seven flats within the building for local young people along side practical support and guidance that will help transition our clients into adult life.

As you may already know MCC own  a large field (9.5 acres) opposite the Salt cellar. We will be seeking outlining planning permission for this site in the coming months as our long term desire is to build a new church and community facility on this site that will provide the people of Middlewich with a modern community and  conference centre that will eventually accommodate up to 1000 people. 

David 

Pastor David Moore

Middlewich Community Church

01606 835928

 5 Jul 2012

Facebook Feedback:

Peter Cox So sad to see yet another good facility, which helps a lot of people, close.

Stephen Dent The proposed community and conference centre sounds really exciting, though. I look forward to seeing the plans.

Jain Talbot I know that turning it into flats is beneficial for those in need, but it will be a major loss to the community.



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NOW & THEN: THE OLD CROSVILLE GARAGE 1987 and 2012

Left hand image courtesy of Diane Parr

by Dave Roberts
Today we're looking at an iconic building  at the top end of Wheelock Street.
The 1987 picture on the left is taken from Carole Hughes' collection of images from twenty-five years ago taken by her friend  Diane Parr, and the one on the right was taken on April 27th 2012.
It's rather reminiscent of the Alhambra, further down the street, with a large building flanked by two smaller ones (although, as we saw here, the Alhambra was built after the buildings on either side and replaced an earlier one).
What is remarkable is how the roofline has changed since 1987
It's now much more elaborate than it used to be, and the section of building on the left (the old Crosville office) appears to have been extended.
On the extreme left in both photos is the old Star Cinema, Middlewich's first picture-house.
Just creeping into shot in the 1987 picture we can  make out half of one of the town's long-lost red telephone boxes (or kiosks, if you prefer).
Let's take a closer look at the 1987 photo:

Photo courtesy of Diane Parr

I'm wondering if the old Star Cinema was a shop at this time, or was still used as a car repair business. Certainly there's a cigarette advert on one end of the building, but the roller-shutter door on the side is still in place.
Any information would, as always, be appreciated.
On the right hand side Gator's bakery shop is back in business, and appears to be selling clothes of some kind.
The central portion of the building, where the Crosville Garage once was, was occupied at this time by T&M Autoparts, the 'Complete Brake Service'.
It appears that T&M also used the old ground-floor Crosville office, but the office space on the second floor was for sale (or was it to let?).
Carole Hughes herself worked here at the time, as did Phil Yearsley among, no doubt, other well-known Middlewich personages.
T&M had a contract to supply re-lined brake shoes to ERF Middlewich at this time and, by coincidence, I was the person who received them at ERF's Goods Inwards department in Brooks Lane, and booked them into  stock.
Here's the same location in 2012:

The very much smartened up 'Cabin' (or 'Triffic Togs') is on the left, and the former Gator's shop,looking a little drab but still just as it always was, even down to the wooden gate (now painted black) in the doorway is on the right.
A discreet wall with railings  now screens it  off from the MoCoCo internet cafe, operated by Middlewich Community Church, which occupies the rest of the building.

Many people will, of course, remember this building (or, at least, the middle part of it) as the Crosville garage.
Certainly I do.
In 1957 I used to go down there, accompanied by William Moreton, to catch the single-decker Crosville bus to Wimboldsley School.
So can anyone tell us:
When this ceased to be the Crosville Garage.
What it was after Crosville left.
When did T&M move in and move out
and what was there before it became the MoCoCo cafe?

MIDDLEWICH COMMUNITY CHURCH