An ambitious coffee connoisseur has set out to open a new shop in the ‘powerhouse of the North’.

Coffee D’Ash is looking to expand its business from their mobile van to a permanent premises in Barrow town centre.

Ashley Holroyd runs the family business that started from a conversation with his Italian brother-in-law in April 2022.

Ashley said: “He mentioned how frustrating it was that coffee in the UK was overpriced and poor in quality. And we started talking about the idea of a coffee business, one that would be great in both price and quality.”

D’Ash has been delivering coffee out of a mobile van since July 2023 from Barrow’s Outdoor Market area but now they are looking to raise enough capital to open a shop. Ashley has set up a Go Fund Me page with a target of £15,000.

They are aiming to open on July 1, which will the 12 month anniversary of their business.

Ashley said D’ash had become ‘quite popular’ with their ‘rapidly growing coffee community’ voicing support of a scale up and a shop.

The key elements of D’Ash include an aim to be as sustainable and ethical as possible as well as a want to help bring the community back into Barrow town centre, said Ashley.

Ashley explained that he is originally from Huddersfield but his wife was born in Barrow. Although he has seen a number of shops shut since moving to the town, his wife has shared fond memories of a busy town centre.

This lost ‘social hub’ has inspired Ashley to create something that he hopes will help bring back the bustling high street so his daughter can grow up with the same fond memories.

Ashley said: “The fundraising will give us the capital we need to help bring our vision to life. We want to create a positive, social and professional space where the people of Barrow can feel welcome and part of a community. We also want those who come from out of town for work, to feel like they have a “home from home” and that is what creates something special about our coffee bar.

“We hope that people will choose to spend more time in the Barrow town centre, at places like our coffee bar and other spaces that are opening, instead of choosing to head for the big cities every weekend.

“It’s also great to hear that Simon Fell MP, Lord David Cameron and Secretary of State Michael Gove are striving to make Barrow the “powerhouse of the north”. We believe that the environment we will create within our coffee bar will add to Barrow having that “Powerhouse of the North” vibe.

“The coffee bar we envision will be, from what we have researched, like nothing else in the South Lakes area but as a new business, it will only be possible with the help of the fundraiser and the people of Barrow.”

You can donate to Ashley's dream here.