Our story: The heart of Redcar's coast

The Stray Cafe’s story began in 1989, when at just 19 years old I first took on the old seasonal cafe that had stood on the site for over 100 years. The building had a remarkable history — during World War II it was closed and used as a lookout point for bombers over the North Sea — but by the early 2000s it was in a terrible state, with 12 holes in the roof, no central heating, no double glazing and no side windows. An engineer’s report even warned that the building could eventually blow away. After having a vivid dream about rebuilding it, I told my Dad, who encouraged me to go for it, and together in 2005 we completely demolished and rebuilt the cafe from the ground up.

Dad was with me every step of the way throughout the 16-week transformation, turning “the dream” into reality. What had once only opened seasonally immediately became a huge success, and today The Stray Cafe proudly opens 363 days a year, closing only on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, continuing a tradition of serving the community that has existed on the site for more than a century.