The Station At Hollingbourne Community Interest Company

The Community Interest Company runs The Station at Hollingbourne, with its Signal Box Cafe, with local people committed to meeting the need for a social a community hub in our village. Having started with events space and a simple cafe operation in 2023, the Signal Box Cafe grew in popularity in 2024 and became a popular and essential community hub during 24-2025. The CIC is non-profit, aims to improve community inclusion and integration through support for this wonderful venture. Activities are supported by community volunteers in all aspects of our cafe and events operations, save for remunerated skilled food & hygiene roles which the Board believes are vital for success and compliance. Running such a business with a dependency on volunteers remains challenging, yet very rewarding. The Board will continue to review and adapt the model, to provide resilience of services the CIC provides to the local community. The CIC has a governing board comprising skilled local people who are committed to meet the need for a social space in the village, ad providing resilience and support to the CIC's operations. Most of these individuals have operated at Board level in other businesses and bring that rigour and know-how with them. Board and steering team includes responsibility for facilities management, planting, governance and each takes part in cafe operations by volunteering, alongside more than 15 other members of the community. The CIC puts on events, manage social outreach, runs a website and content of social media for The Signal Box Cafe.