Andrew's fa-brew-lous fundraiser

In late 2019, Andrew has just bought and converted an old horse box, transforming it into a modern coffee van. As he was preparing to hit the road, the Coronavirus pandemic hit, meaning his brand new business, named Beduki’s, was forced to ‘grind’ to an abrupt halt.

This didn’t stop Andrew however, as full of beans, he arranged to open in a Covid secure way, in the car park of his local community centre in Westerhope. New to the area, Andrew found it a great way to meet his new neighbours, as well as fundraise for his local hospice. He explains:

“After a month of lockdown and looking at Beduki’s sat on the drive thinking ‘could I have picked a worse time to start this small business?’, I spoke to the local councillor and the police who agreed we could open up in the car park at Westerhope Community centre. Since May last year I have been open there every Friday and Saturday and we have got to know so many people and Beduki’s now has a loyal base of friends and customers.  

“In the warmer months we have a group who meet at Beduki’s and bring their deck chairs down and get a coffee, we have a lady who brings her mam in the car who can’t get out but loves her little chat and cuppa. We have a taxi driver who tells everyone in his cab where to get the best coffee in town and often brings people who are paying fares! We have cyclists and runners and lots of locals and we love chatting to them all. 

“So many local people love St Oswald’s and my customers often tell me to pop their change in the hospice collection can I have on my counter. In almost a year Beduki’s customers have raised almost £700. It’s never been more important to support our wonderful hospice and make sure they can continue to help so many families. Thank you to all my customers.” 

We have a whole latte love for Andrew and his fundraising efforts, but we couldn’t end without asking him about how his coffee van got its unusual name. He revealed:

 “People often ask me about the name. It is born from our own little rescue dog Lilly, who we think is a mixture between a Bedlington Terrier and a Saluki. We like to think of her as our own designer breed; a Beduki. I named the van after her as I love her and I love my coffee and I wanted Beduki’s also to be a warm and welcoming experience where there is always time for a chat with a good cuppa.”