An award-winning cafe owner is taking a stand against Keswick’s growing holiday let epidemic by vowing to buy back the town, brick by brick.
Chinty Turnbull, who rents space in a building on St John’s Street, launched her campaign this week after her landlord announced he was putting the property up for sale.
As well as the cafe and eco-shop, the premises includes four first-floor flats – and Chinty fears it will be snapped up by developers keen to turn them into yet more lucrative holiday accommodation.
Now she and her business partner Suzy Bennett have launched a crowdfunding appeal to raise the £825,000 asking price.
If successful, they hope the Buy Back Keswick, Brick By Brick (BBKBBB) campaign will inspire others to save the town for local people.
“I was born in Keswick and went to school in Keswick, but I couldn’t afford to buy a house here now,” Chinty said.
“Everywhere you look, properties are being snapped up and turned into holiday homes.
“We want to buy our building and turn it into a community property which offers affordable rents for both local business and local tenants.
“We want this to be the start of a grass roots project reclaiming property in our town.”
Chinty and Suzy opened the cafe in 2020, specialising in eco-friendly produce.
The pair have also developed a fresh veg delivery service across the town, and last year they won an Outstanding Micro Business Innovation Award.
They currently have a three-year lease, but within 24 hours of the building going on the market through estate agents PFK this week, a prospective buyer paid a visit to check it out.
“It’s all about making money, but when every property in Keswick has been turned into a holiday villa then what are you going to have left?” Chinty said.
“We figure that just 411 people giving £2,000 each would raise the funds we need, or 825 people giving £1,000 each would do it.”
Chinty and Suzy are in the process of launching a crowdfunding page, and are offering a range of incentives for people to contribute.
These include exclusive membership of the BBKBBB club, and their name on a wall of fame outside the building.
“More importantly, they would have the satisfaction of knowing that they helped save an award-winning community business and that their investment started a local rejuvenation project,” Chinty said.
