A brand-new community coffee house has officially opened at the Great North Air Ambulance Service’s (GNAAS) headquarters in Eaglescliffe.
Hangar 63 opened to the public yesterday with a ribbon cutting ceremony carried out by their charity ambassador Pam Royle, who delivered a speech alongside interim CEO Joe Garcia.
Attendees included supporters, volunteers, corporate partners of the charity, and staff, including the critical care team when they weren’t on a call-out.
The coffee house is a volunteer run community space and offers a variety of hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, cakes and other treats.
It also has a small gifting space selling local products and GNAAS merchandise.
The name ‘Hangar 63’ is a homage to GNAAS’ North East helicopter’s callsign ‘Helimed 63’ as well as a nod to their life-saving critical care team.
In preparation of the official opening, the charity soft-launched their new coffee house to train their volunteers and were “thrilled with the positive response” from customers.
Phil Hall, commercial project manager at GNAAS said: “It’s been wonderful to see it busy and if the success continues, we aim to expand our offerings including hot food options in the future.”
During the official opening event, attendees were able to enjoy sampling the delicious offerings available at the coffee house and play fun games with the chance to win prizes.
Mr Hall added: “We hope Hangar 63 will become a vibrant community space where people can connect, relax and enjoy a coffee, all while supporting the life-saving work of GNAAS.
“Every purchase directly benefits the charity, whether it’s a flat white or a flapjack, you’ll be helping to fund emergency interventions, equipment, training, and ongoing operational costs.”
The usual opening times for Hangar 63 is Monday – Friday 10am – 2pm.
The coffee house will also be open during the charity’s bike and classic car nights, which take place on the third Thursday of every month (until September).
Share
