By John Baron
A much-loved community cafe and a charity shop at Bramley Shopping Centre have both closed today.
Both the Bramley Community Cafe and Bramley Community Shop were run by the Upbeat Community Interest Company (CIC), which was set up in 2006 to earn money to support the work of Bramley Elderly Action.
Over the past 20 years, Upbeat CIC has tried to make money to support the charity, including the sale of aids and adaptations, a gardening project and for the last 15 years an independent community shop selling second-hand goods.
In February 2025, Upbeat CIC took on the lease of a former café on Bramley Shopping Centre, to open a friendly, affordable community café where people could learn about all the good stuff going on in Bramley.
An Upbeat spokesperson said the company had to make a ‘heartbreaking’ commercial decision to close both the shop and the café.
WLD understands the CIC is about to go enter the voluntary insolvency process.
They said: “The cafe and the shop have both been socially successful. However, both the community café and the community shop have been losing money.”
It’s understood the closures have no financial impact on Bramley Elderly Action, which is a separate legal entity, financially sustainable and operationally thriving.
“We’d like to thank staff and volunteers,” the Upbeat spokesperson added. “The closures are despite all their skilful and hard work.
“These are very difficult time in which to trade. We would also like to thank our customers and supporters. Apologies, we gave it our best shot.”
Bramley Community Café launched a £12,000 crowdfunding appeal in October to support the sustainability of the café after its original opening date was delayed by three and a half months. The delays caused ‘serious financial challenges’. The crowdfunding target was reached in late December.
Update: This article was updated Tuesday, 12 May to clarify the CIC had entered a voluntary insolvency process.
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It needs a lot of money per week to make a cafe profitable especially one on Bramley Shopping Centre, and from what I’ve read in this article it was doomed before it opened when a crowd fund of £12000 was needed before the facility was up and running.It maybe would have been better using the money to improve the Bramley Elderly Action Mini Bus run by volunteer drivers who give there time to help the older Community of Bramley to get to activities, luncheon clubs and outings.
Just wondering if anyone checked Leeds city council planning applications beforehand. I think not.if they had they would have seen that Greggs were due to open a huge double fronted establishment.Doomed.comes to mind. A bit like purchasing a huge people carrier that wasn’t fit for purpose,or getting rid of key members of staff.the members know the truth.
Losing Rebecca was the begining of the end.a highly talented individual,whose responsible for that I wonder? Other key individuals were removed! and moral and efficiency deteriorated. suggest the Board call a meeting with the members to discuss what went wrong and who was responsible.
The comment about Greggs opening a new double fronted shop, is about right, so a shop had to go.. goodbye Bramley community shop/cafe, hello double front Greggs
With respect to the staff (the workers not the Senior Management), who worked their backsides off its all very strange.
Who is the anonymous spokesperson?
What does BEA think if ehat has happened and what or who do they hokd responsible?
Why did Director Brett Jacob resign on 8th May shortly before 3 staff were made redundant and liquidation pricess started.
Let’s review…
May 2026 – social enterprise liquidated. 3 people redundant.
The last remaining Director also the full time CEO of BEA remains in full time employment.
December 2025 – £6,000 crowdfunded from local people to support the struggling new cafe due to very unclear reasons cited as ‘delays’. These delays were presumably management failings.
October 25, cafe opens. Cllr Tom Hinchliffe encourages local people to spend their money there as profits will go to support BEA’s work.
BEA asked how much surplus UpBEAt predicts in its busines plan that it will contribute to BEA. BEA refuses to comment, eventually citing commercial sensitivities.
October 25 – people try to ask questions about the finances at the BEA AGM and are shut down.
Prior to the Cafe opening, BEA makes 3 redundancies. 2 are of key staff who support older people at OWLS in Headingley. The 3rd is based across the two schemes coordinating transport – an essential part of reducing social isolation. The CEO has decided to do the Transport job themselves and that the staff in Bramley can cover their opposite roles. So overnight, 500 older people in Headingley, Hyde Park, Burley, Kirkstall and Little Woodhouse are going to be supported by the two people already supporting 1200 members in Bramley, Swinnow and parts of Swinnow.
Service levels seem to have dropped to an all time low.
Transport ground to a halt.
What is Leeds City Council paying for?
What is going on?
Who is accountable to whom?
It’s so easy to blame the economy.
This is extremely sad – but it is not acceptable that the directors resigned as the organisation is falling into voluntary liquidation. The board should see the process through and do it properly and treat staff properly.
Given BEA/OWLS are 100% shareholder, UPBEAT was set up to deliver extra income to BEA/OWLS and there is a Board there in place – they have to take some responsibility.
Those who contributed to the £12,000 fundraiser in December should be given their money back and those who were leading that crowdfunding – knowing and understanding the figures and business case – also need to take some responsibility.
Tierd of watching this go on and everyone acts as if they have no responsibility and nothing can be done. Something needs to happen – a public inquiry or a lessons learnt excercise – so this does not happen in another neighbourhood network scheme that benefits from Leeds City Council funding. That is a role for elected officials to ensure proper and effective use of public money. We cannot keep throwing good money after Bad and then say there is no money!
Enough is enough.
Upbeat CIC dispute many of the comments made. We would like it to be known that this heartbreaking commercial decision took into consideration our commitment to our three members of staff and that we are doing everything that we can in terms of pay, redundancy and helping locate new jobs.
Upbeat CIC was set up in 2006 to help support the work of the charity and it is not making money for the charity. The truth is that despite our best efforts, over twenty years we have made significant social impact yet little commercial impact.
We will not be commenting any further
This comment thread is now closed.
John Baron – Editor