PLANS have been unveiled for a new coffee bar in Barrow town centre.

Coffee D'ash is set to expand its business from its beloved coffee van pod into a retail unit on Portland Walk.

Speaking to Simon Fell, the MP for Barrow and Furness, in a video published on his LinkedIn page, owner Ashley Holroyd explained they decided to take the space to house more people and provide more jobs in Barrow.

"We are in here because this is the future coffee bar of Barrow. A big decision for us but this is going to be the place of our coffee bar," he said.

"We decided to take up this spot because we saw other shops opening in the area as well. You have got the likes of Expressions, you have got the likes of Mama's Cafe, Footwear and Fascinators. And obviously, BAE opening next door as well, had a huge impact on our decision to come here.

"We decided to open this place and move from the coffee pod that you have seen in the outdoor market to a bigger space so we can house more people on a daily basis, so people are not getting wet then they get their coffee in the winter and so that we can provide jobs as well in the town."

D’Ash has been delivering coffee out of a mobile van since July 2023 from Barrow’s Outdoor Market area but now they are renovating their new space. Ashley has set up a GoFundMe page with a target of £15,000.

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"We wanted to introduce the city experience of a coffee bar, coffee lounge into Barrow to really sort of keep people here that do drift out of town at the weekend and give them something to stay for," he said,

"And obviously, like I mentioned, the other shops, they are doing that as well. So I thought, well, let's join in and let's really build a community again in the centre of Barrow."

Speaking with the owner of Coffee D'ash Mr Fell said: "I think the centre of town is changing and it is people like you making the investment, taking the risk that are making that change so thank you for doing it.

"From the £16million currently being spent on the Market and Forum thanks to the Levelling Up funding we secured, to the investment from BAE in buying the former Debenhams, WHSmith, and other stores, the centre of Barrow is changing. Soon over 700 staff will be working right in the centre of town, and the new university campus - under construction now - will increase that crucial footfall even more."