A SLICE of homely elegance has been created in a woodland by a community that has really stepped up to the plate.

Villagers of Whitegate have transformed a former railway station and council office into a welcoming cafe, which they run from 11am to 4pm every day.

The community got the keys to Station House Cafe, on Whitegate Way, in May and set about fitting a kitchen and counter, decorating the building and furnishing it.

They opened it as a pilot project on July 11 and it proved an instant hit.

Gary Cliffe, one of the directors of the social enterprise, said: "We've had a really good summer.

"People have really supported us in terms of buying coffee and cake - we even had someone come over from Wales because they'd heard about us on Facebook.

"We've got more than 90 people signed up to volunteer in one way, shape or form.

"Now we've got so busy that we've had to employ a few paid staff to be the bones of it.

"It's a community that's got together and put a cafe together, everybody's really stepped up to the plate."

The building, owned by Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC), was Whitegate station when Whitegate Way was a railway line.

Following that it had been the countryside rangers' office but the service was moved to different offices, leaving the building vacant.

The community is also offering business starter units in the upstairs rooms of the building and has launched trike hire scheme to make it easy for people of all abilities to enjoy Whitegate Way.

The volunteers run all aspects of the cafe, from ordering stock to cashing up, and are trained as baristas.

They sell cakes made by Mrs Bee Queen of Cakes and Alison Hill and offer savoury snacks like paninis and jacket potatoes.

PCSOs Kat Stock and Adam Cupples also visit the cafe to meet with residents and hold surgeries.

For more information search for Station House Cafe, Whitegate on Facebook.