A new family-run cafe has opened in the Ballasalla Balthane Industrial Estate and is the first cafe to trade on the estate.
The Hard Hat Cafe, run by Trish Lunn, offers an open plan area with free wifi, a sofa, television and mobile phone charging points.
Trish opened the cafe partly to help her son, Joseph with employment after he suffered brain damage in a family car crash in 1999.
Trish herself was on a life support machine after the accident while her husband Phil and their eldest daughter were both injured in the crash.
‘Joseph had an engineering apprenticeship at Ronaldsway but the accident left him suffering from bad migraines,’ explained Trish.
Trish’s husband, Phil, is also involved. He owns a joinery business, Ellunn Mannan Joinery, and did most of the work himself on the cafe, aside from the plumbing and electrical work.
‘I do the book keeping for his joinery business too,’ said Trish.
In the kitchen is Trish’s sister, Angela Mellon, who came over from Scotland to also help with caring for Joseph.
Talking about what’s on offer, Trish said: ‘Our most popular thing is our all day breakfast and we also do a daily special, today’s is steak and chips, yesterday it was a ploughman’s.’
The cafe is open 7.30am to 5pm Monday to Saturday.
