Tipton' s Tea Junction launches Air Ambulance fundraiser

The mobile café has been selling snacks and hot drinks on the playing field next to the Pavilion on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for about a month.

It’s been set up by Clinton Johnston of the Tipton Eager Beavers, whose wife Lisette bought the trailer from Wales. It was kitted out with equipment from Hospiscare in Honiton.

The café has become a social hub for people walking along the river with their dogs, offering a place to meet up for a coffee and a chat.

Clinton, a former ambulance and emergency department worker, had to change tack after a breakdown in his mental health. He said he had started the Tea Junction as a way of giving something back to the local residents who supported him in his time of need.

He said: “The idea was born as a way of thanking a very close-knit community that helped me get out of the rabbit hole that I was in.

“I realise that it's not going to make me a millionaire but it means an awful lot to put a smile on people's faces and provide a seemingly much welcome and needed service.

“I offer hot and cold drinks and hot and cold food. For the young or young at heart members of the community I can also do freshly made popcorn and marshmallows.

“I am trying to be as inclusive as possible by offering caffeine free and various milks.

“My USP is being almost zero waste, zero plastic, single use china and reusable crockery and any waste I do have is recyclable.

“During December, I am planning to decorate one of the trees in the playing field with ribbons bought for a donation in time for Christmas. I will have a collection box for the Air Ambulance which has visited the field twice this year and the ribbon can be to remember someone you have lost; a memory tree if you like to think of it that way.

“This is a new venture for the village and I intend to be on the playing field throughout the winter as well as the rest of the year."