A POPULAR Worcester cafe that was previously called a "hidden gem" is undergoing a refurbishment with a twist.  

Lakeview Cafe, at County Hall, has seen business booming in recent months, with more customers enjoying its large offering of food and drinks.

Following a successful refurbishment of its outside area last year, the cafe went ahead with an improvement plan that revolves around refurbishment of the inside tables and chairs.

Rather than purchase new furniture, the decision was made to refurbish, which saw them rely on the social enterprise RAW Workshop to carry out the proposed plans.

Rick Mower, managing director at RAW, said: "We are an Oxford-based social enterprise, we employ about 30 people. We produce furniture, we recycle, we upcycle.

"The difference with us is that three-quarters of my employees comes from different backgrounds so they might have had a past that included offending behaviour, addiction or homelessness.

"We're hear to prove that no matter what your past is, you can be exceptional. So the furniture we've made here today is highly sustainable, but also brings social values.

"Every single one of the chairs in here was in the previous cafe, it probably took us about three weeks to do 80 of them.

"Around half the tables are recycled. We sandblast and repaint all the bases from the tables so nothing has been wasted.

"We also have some feature tables that are made from recycled plastic, so bottles and waste plastic that we turn into tables."

Lakeview Cafe is operated by OSC but runs under its food brand Angel Hill Food Co.

Henry Watts, managing director at Angel Hill Food Co, said: "As a company we are always looking to the social impact behind various projects that we do.

"It was an opportunity an here with Worcestershire County Council, who have been very supportive of the way we operate, and linking with RAW has been a fantastic experience for us.

"It's not just the product, it's the story behind the product and the social impact that makes the difference. We're delighted to partner with Worcestershire Country Council and RAW to do this."

Mr Watts felt the project would have a "phenomenal" impact on Worcester because of the benefits not just to the environment but also the social impact of creating jobs for disadvantaged people.