Former Second World War munitions store to become one of Sheffield's newest cafesÂ

Plans to turn an empty Grade-II listed building into a dementia friendly cafe have been welcomed.Â
The old coach house in Hillsborough Park.The old coach house in Hillsborough Park.
The old coach house in Hillsborough Park.

Age UK Sheffield have been granted £50,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to transform an abandoned coach house in Hillsborough Park into a meeting place for people with the condition. 

The building was last used as a munitions store during the Second World War but by 2020 will relaunch as a cafe that is expected to be used by thousands of people, as well as creating jobs and volunteering opportunities. 

The old coach house in Hillsborough Park.The old coach house in Hillsborough Park.
The old coach house in Hillsborough Park.
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A number of Star readers took to Facebook to welcome the move.

Karen Thistlethwaite posted that it is 'good to know the building is gonna be put to good use at long last.' 

Caroline Denton added: 'That's so good. It's about time we looked after people, it is a terrible disease.'  

Laura O'Donnell described it as 'wonderful' and added that it is 'lovely to see such a worthy cause getting support.'

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Adrian-Paul Ashworth pledged to visit with his project the Therapy Huskies, in which specially-trained Siberian huskies spend time with people with serious conditions as a way of comforting them through a tough time. 

He added: 'We would love to have a visit when its ready, we'll put a smile on everyone's face.'

Steve Chu, Age UK Sheffield chief executive, said: 'It's absolutely fantastic news, to get the Heritage Lottery Fund on board is really amazing and hopefully it will bring a piece of heritage back into use that has been unavailable to the people of Sheffield for so many years.

'We've been working on the project for about a year, it's been a lot of hard work to get it to this stage and a lot of hard work still to do.

'But getting support is a massive hurdle to overcome.'

This initial £49,700 is the first step towards full funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and they hope to receive the rest by next summer.Â