It started with one cafe
For eight years, Ruth Rogers ran The Canvas in East London: a place where people came for coffee and found community.
A pay-it-forward board provided food and drinks for people experiencing homelessness. A food bank supported local families. Affordable community events gave people space to meet, share ideas and start something new.
When The Canvas closed in 2022, Ruth saw a way for its story to continue. Brilliant independent cafes were already doing this work in neighbourhoods across the country. What could happen if they came together?
The Canvas Cafe Collective grew from that question.
About The Canvas Cafe Collective
Every neighbourhood needs places to belong
Somewhere to find a familiar face, meet your neighbours or get an idea off the ground. Somewhere people notice when you’re struggling and offer a hand.
Across the UK, community cafes are creating these places every day.
The Canvas Cafe Collective brings them together to learn from one another, share ideas and help their communities thrive.
Our ambition
A Canvas Community Cafe in every neighbourhood.
So more people have somewhere to belong, connect and contribute to life where they live.
Together, we’re championing the role community cafes play and building a picture of the difference they make, helping them gain the recognition, support and investment they deserve.
Shaped by our cafes
Our eight founding cafes helped shape the Collective, from its name to the principles that bring us together.
Each cafe is different, rooted in its own neighbourhood and responding to the people around it. Members bring their experiences, ideas and ambitions to help shape what comes next.
What brings us together
Belong
We create welcoming spaces where everyone feels they have a place.
Connect
We bring people, ideas and opportunities together.
Amplify
We lift up local voices, celebrate great ideas and support community action.
Every cafe brings these principles to life in its own way, building on what makes it special and what its community needs.
Help the next chapter grow
Know a neighbourhood cafe creating a place for people to belong, connect and make a difference? Help us discover it.
Please ask the cafe owner’s permission before nominating them.
Meet the Team
Ruth Rogers
Founder
Bio to come
ruth@thecanvascafe.org
Stephanie Medwenitsch
Collective Manager
Bio to come
steph@thecanvascafe.org