Volunteer Team of the Year – The Big Table Café at St German’s Cathedral, Cathedral Isle of Man

Punnets of plums had been left on the doorstep of the Big Table Café in Corrin Hall, a big, airy community building in the shadow of St German’s Cathedral, Isle of Man.

It was a welcome donation for the café volunteer team that meet here every Monday to prepare, cook and serve a three course freshly cooked meal to eat or take away for anyone who needs it.

Volunteer Team of the Year – The Big Table Café at St German’s Cathedral, Cathedral Isle of Man

And recently, the AEC joined them to present them with the team award in the Newgate Volunteer of the Year awards, the annual competition launched for the first time this year in recognition of the vital role our volunteers play in the life of our cathedrals.

Anna Pitt, Executive Director of the Association of English Cathedrals, said,

“it was an absolute privilege to spend time alongside this team this week. The respect, love and care they show to everyone was a joy to witness. Nothing was too much trouble, everyone had a smile on their face and took time to talk to the customers, and the food was delicious! They are a fabulous example of heartfelt volunteering.’

The whole team is voluntary, it is made up of some cathedral congregational members but largely draws volunteers from the community, from all faiths and none.

There is a preparation team, a Chef team, a waiting-on team, and a washing-up team and they work like a well-oiled machine, supporting each other and filling in the gaps when there are staff shortages in particular areas to make sure no one goes hungry.

From 89-year-old Peter who comes in around 7.30am every Monday to peel and chop the veg, Richard, their fabulous go-to for everything, who gave up his lunch hour in the care home where he works to be part of the award ceremony, David, who turned up as a customer and came back as a volunteer, Fenella, the cook who sources all the food for the meals and produces delicious inspired meals, Elizabeth who project manages the day, Sue, who baked the sticky toffee pudding the day we were there, Jackie was manned the desk to take the orders – and all the other volunteers in the kitchen and behind the scenes, without whom this service would be so much less.

They serve around 60 people a week, from a range of backgrounds, and spend time making sure they chat to every customer, offering a warm welcome and companionship. Customers eat what they like and pay what they can – putting whatever they can afford into a sealed envelope – anything from 20p to £20 – and if they can’t afford anything that week, then their envelope goes in the pot empty. It is these weekly donations that just about keep the café ticking over, that and any donations of food they may be given.

And they offer meals to take-away too for the coming week, which is a lifeline for those who have limited means or limited catering facilities.

On the day we attended, we served glowing carrot and ginger soup, creamy leek and chicken stew, rustic Italian bake, with parmentier potatoes and mixed greens, followed by sticky toffee pudding and ice cream!

The celebration was watched on by the Dean, the Very Revd Nigel Godfrey, the Archdeacon of Man, St George and All Saints, Douglas, the Venerable Irene Cowell, and film crews from Granada Reports and BBC Isle of Man.

Award sponsor, Nigel Williams, founder and owner of Newgate®, said,

‘Choosing our winners was such a difficult task, and I want to acknowledge that loyal community of committed and steadfast people who make our cathedrals the wonderful places they are. 

‘The Big Table Café stood out for us for their selfless teamwork and hospitality and we are very proud to be able to celebrate and thank them with these national awards.’

There was a surprise in store too for Rosemary Clarke, a reader at St German’s Cathedral, she oversees the development of Readers across the Island and sits of the Training Oversight Team at Diocesan level.  She has also been a volunteer at the cathedral for over a decade.

The judges decided to award Rosemary a special award and these are some of the reasons why:

‘As a reader in the Cathedral, Rosemary takes part in services but her love of people and willingness to serve God in innovative and pastoral ways is boundless. She has a heart for making people welcome and included in church; for helping them to explore their faith through personal instruction and group work; and for reaching out into community through initiatives like ‘Big Table’ which provides nourishment and support for the vulnerable. 

‘Recently, she has initiated and orchestrated an exhibition celebrating ‘the Moon’ – a Cathedral installation that drew in 20.000 visitors over the month’ one nomination read.

And the Dean of St Germans, the Very Revd Nigel Godfrey, added,

‘One of Rosemary’s areas of responsibility is curating exhibitions, she has just explored the Lord’s Prayer as part of the Archibishop of York’s Faith in the North campaign, and has engaged with the 120 different ‘mother tongues’ spoken on the Island.

‘And she was responsible for staging Luke Jerram’s Museum of the Moon. This was a high risk enterprise for a Cathedral that receives no Church Commissioners funding and is required to raise its own funds for all its activities – she managed the risk well. 

‘The Moon attracted 18,000 visitors in February of this year (the entire population of the Island is only 85,000). 

‘Rosemary organised daily activities and persuaded a trust to sponsor one class from each of the 35 primary schools to attend and led the teaching while they visited. She organised a huge range of events: Pilates under the moon, a banquet, dances, lectures, concerts etc. 

‘The enterprise gave people a glimpse of what a Cathedral can be.

He continued:

‘Rosemary is gifted in engaging with people from all walks of life. She knows what is the right thing to do at the right moment and gives the impression that nothing is too much trouble and she has all the time in the world as she engages with Cathedral visitors.’

The Newgate® Cathedral Volunteer of the Year Awards is a new annual partnership project between the Association of English Cathedrals and Newgate® Motoring Solutions Ltd, a company which specialises in affordable motoring schemes for clergy and those who work or volunteer in our cathedrals. Every cathedral was invited to nominate two volunteers, and we had around 50 nominations from almost 30 cathedrals.The nominated volunteers ranged in age from their twenties to their eighties and together represented almost one hundred years of service, highlighting the value of giving back and the joy of making a difference.