One Hurst resident has brought back a little more community to the High Street with the opening of Community Cafe late last month.

Ian Jury, who moved to the village two years ago from Camden with his partner Richard, has spent the last year or so finding the right location and planning the new venture – which is the latest café in a chain of community focused ventures managed by Ian.

After working in the youth care sector in Brighton, Ian created his own plan for a social enterprise cafe and was responsible for launching Community Diner at a youth hub in Islington.

Community Cafe here in Hurstpierpoint has many of the same principles, most notably providing a place for young people who may have had trouble with school or previous employment to find a way back to work. “We focus on ability, not disability,” Ian said, “as we take those who may have dyslexia, be on the autistic spectrum or just have not felt comfortable in an academic environment. We pull them out of that rut!”

Ian (pictured here with supervisor Leah Knight) insists that everything is top notch and finished at the refurbished shop at 124 High Street.Community Cafe, open 9.30am-5.30pm Tuesday to Friday and 10.30am-4.30pm at the weekend, will serve organic coffee and loose leaf Sussex tea alongside artisan breads, jacket potatoes and kids’ ice creams.

“Above all,” Ian continued, “we want to be welcoming to all. From family friendly fun to OAP afternoons, water bowls and treats for dogs to mother/baby mornings - we want to create a great vibe here in our modern, urban environment.”