A POPULAR community caf is to reopen after a public outcry when it closed.

The YMCA in Parliament Street, Consett, stopped serving meals last year, in the face of growing competition in the town. But elderly people have demanded the caf be reinstated.

Billy Robson, of Consett YMCA, said: "A lot of older people have asked us to put the meals back on.

"For a lot of older people, the service was about more than coming in for just a meal - it was a social thing and they want that back."

The centre will run a trial scheme on Thursdays, 11.30am to 12.30pm and Fridays, 11.30am to 1.30pm, starting on Thursday. The caf will offer a two course meal for £2.50 and it is open to all.

If the scheme takes off, the YMCA will expand it to run five days a week.

For further details, contact the centre on (01207) 501852.