It's Cameron, Anne Marie, Emma and Hollie-Ann this weekend!!! Early night beckons . . .

Timeline Photos

Sad, Happy, Excited, Scared . . . pick an emotion and I'm sure we're all feeling it as we hand over Chatterbox to Chris and Phil this evening. Anne Marie and Cameron will still be around, and look forward to seeing the cafe evolve over the coming years. xx Thanks Jean Thornley for taking the pic x

Timeline Photos

Chatterbox is ready to welcome the Weardale triathlon cyclists to St John's Chapel tomorrow morning

Timeline Photos

GB Olympian Steven Burke when he was here in Weardale 2 years ago with Jonathan Edwards

Sorry abut yesterday . . . But we're back today.

Timeline Photos

They won't let us close . . . Regulars and visitors come in even with the light off and help themselves. We will be back open properly tomorrow (Thursday)

Timeline Photos

Very sorry. Everyone is a bit poorly so we can't open. Back tomorrow.

Part time jobs . . . Chris has asked me to ask if you know of anyone who would like work in the cafe week days and/or weekends covering the busy parts of the day. - 10-16 hours a week in the cafe and kitchen. Full training will be given.

And the good news is . . . Chatterbox Café is staying . . . and changing and growing. A month ago we announced that the cafe would have to go right back to basics, serving just coffee and cake, due to the physical toll it was taking on our health. We were very touched by the massive response we received from everyone, so we continued thinking of any kind of alternative to keep this wonderful place going - but whatever we came up with proved to be undoable. That is until we were approached by Chris and Phil, who currently run Café Fresh in Middleton and the café at Bowlees Visitor Centre. In their words, they offered “an option where we could team up with you somehow to help the cafe continue as people know”. So, Chatterbox will continue, still serving breakfasts, and with hot meals coming back on the menu. It will still be the local café that welcomes visitors. It will still be your café - just that Chris will be looking after it while you’re not here. . . . and I will still be hanging around. Having listened to their ideas, I am confident you are going to love the constant changes that will be happening . . . comfy chairs, even more local produce, special promotions . . . The one down side we haven’t been able to avoid is having to say goodbye to Sharon and Rene, though we have offered to secure their jobs until they have found something else. From the start of August, Chris and Phil will be spending increasing amount of time in the café getting to know you, before we hand over the reigns in the middle of the month. Thereafter Anne Marie and I will still be on site, still working shifts in the café, still committed to St John’s Chapel, Weardale and The Roof of England. For those who are worried about how I will fill my time, I will be putting more time into developing and promoting visitor activities in the North Pennines – but more about that later.

Dominic

Chatterbox enjoyed hosting the first running of the Chapel Fell Roof of England Fell Race last night. Forty five of the north east's best fell runners ran the 5 mile course to the top of Chapel Fell and back - the fastest in just 35 minutes! Durham Fell Runners hope to make this another great annual event to be run in St John's Chapel.

good news coming . . .

Photos from Chatterbox's post

From today . . . LIVE!