A cafe owner in Ashton-in-Makerfield says she’s having sleepless nights worrying about the number of schoolchildren coming through her doors hungry, with little or no money to buy something to eat.
Yasmin Ratcliffe, who runs Roses Cafe on Warrington Road, has been giving away free sandwiches with the help of her staff, who sometimes pay for the food themselves. The cafe also runs a pay-it-forward scheme, where customers can pay for an extra drink or something to eat and leave it on a board for someone who might not be able to afford it.
The scheme has been running since at least January, but Yasmin says she’s now seeing increasing numbers of children coming in needing help. And although customers have been contributing what they can, the cafe is a small business with its own bills to pay.
In a Facebook post, Yasmin explained: “As you know we get lotssssssss of school children coming in the shop on a daily basis. We are seeing more and more children coming in with no money or very little and who are hungry. We absolutely understand how hard times are for everyone at the minute especially the food bills.”
Yasmin says the cafe gives away free sandwiches every day, with money donated by customers going into the pay-it-forward pot. But she and her staff are also putting their own money towards helping.
“We appreciate every single person who does give a pound, or whatever they can to help us keep this up,” she wrote. “We do put a lot in out of our own pockets, even my staff as they are flipping amazing. As you maybe know I have 3 children myself and can’t see children going hungry. We are also a small business and we can only afford to give so much away. We really do try our best.”
Roses Cafe opened in May 2025 and is named after Yasmin’s mum, Rose, who passed away a few years ago. Yasmin has more than ten years’ experience in catering and runs the cafe with a small team.
Her message raises a worrying issue about the number of children struggling to afford food, but it also shows how a small cafe and its customers are trying to do something about it.
Anyone who would like to contribute to the pay-it-forward scheme can pop into Roses Cafe on Warrington Road in Ashton-in-Makerfield and make a donation towards the food being provided.
Roses Cafe is at 35 Warrington Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 9PJ.
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