Great Harwood cafe boss speaks out over closure

10:43am Monday 14th April 2008

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THE former owner of a popular cafe which closed after 25 years has criticised attempts to save it as "too little too late" for her business.

Rita Schofield ran Cafe Rian, which was part of Mercer Hall Leisure Centre, Great Harwood, with her daughter Andrea Murray.

The cafe closed when Rita, who turned 65 this year, wanted to retire.

But Rita says she wanted the cafe's legacy to continue and felt "let down" when the cafe's owners, Hyndburn Leisure Trust, said they had already planned to close it.

Hyndburn Leisure Trust, which wanted to replace the cafe with a viewing gallery for the swimming pool, has now vowed to review its decision following protests and a request by Hyndburn Council.

But Rita said she was puzzled by the "protest" by councillors and ex-mayor of Great Harwood Jessie Hall MBE.

Rita said: "I can't remember any of them coming into the cafe. If they did they weren't regulars.

"I think it's just a publicity stunt."

Rita also revealed that the owners, Hyndburn Leisure Trust, weren't interested in keeping the cafe open when she said she was retiring She said: "We had a meeting in February with the Trust and they told me and my daughter they were going to close it down after I had left. People kept saying to my daughter why don't you keep it open?' but it needs two of you to run it."

Her daughter Andrea, 36 who helped run the cafe said: "We were just told that it would no longer be a cafe and they wanted to change it into something else", she added, "I would have preferred there to be someone else to come in to keep it going."

She also said she had longstanding reasons for not taking the reins from her mother. "We always said if my mother retired then I would change my career. I have worked full-time at the cafe since I was 16 years old." Andrea said she now wants to be a dental nurse.

Hyndburn Leisure Trust leader Peter Baron has said the Trust planned to "revisit" the decision.

But Rita said if they re-open she would expect to be compensated. She said: "If we had been able to sell it on as a growing concern we would have got something back from it."

Hyndburn Leisure Trust said it wanted to knock down the cafe to accommodate a viewing gallery for the swimming pool but said it was aware of the controversy.

"There have been issues around people getting from one side of the building to another and having to walk around the the pool", said Peter Baron, deputy chief executive.

"We have been asked by the council to revisit our decision. The board would look at any proposal to see if there any private companies are interested in taking the cafe over."