COFFEE connoisseurs will have even more choice of where they can get their double espresso or flat latte in Welshpool.

Costa Coffee will be opening it's doors from 7am today (Friday, April 20) and will have an offer of free coffee for a year to one lucky customer.

Over the last month the former Pinewood Cafe has been re-vamped to become a Costa branch.

Costa said that a six new jobs have been created by the new store opening.

Larentia who run Costa Coffee franchises all over the UK and have opened a shop in Newtown in December 2017, creating 10 jobs at the time will be running the Welshpool coffee shop.

According to Costa the team in Newtown has worked really closely with the community since opening, being a registered food bank collection point, holding several fundraising events for local charities and monthly litter picking around the town with the help of volunteers.

Store manager Emma Kyte, said : “We’re really looking forward to welcoming customers to our new store when it opens and being an active part of the local community in Welshpool, getting involved with events; providing the store as a meeting place and helping with

fundraising.

"We are already registered as a collection point with Welshpool & District Foodbank and are planning monthly raffle draws to win a Costa coffee hamper to raise

money for local charities.

"Additionally, we will be holding a Golden Ticket event on Saturday, April 28where a lucky customer will be given a chance to win free coffee for a

year.”

The former Pinewood Cafe, an icon in Welshpool's town centre for decades closed it's doors at the end of December 2017 with the loss of 18 jobs.

Pinewood History

The Pinewood cafe used to be known as The Blue cafe and was run from 1955 by sisters Mary and Margaret Foulkes.

The cafe was bought by Mervyn Evans on October 30, 1962.

It was then established by Mervyn and his brother Wynn as the Pinewood Home Bakery, Restaurant and Coffee House.

Mervyn and Wynn were the sons of Evan Evans, who had been in the catering business in Pant, Newtown and Berriew Street, Welshpool.

They gained an excellent reputation catering for outside functions such as wedding receptions, balls and parties throughout the area.

This work continued until the mid 1970s when they gave up to concentrate solely on the Pinewood.

Wynn died in 2000 and Mervyn carried on the business until his death in 2011.

From 2011, Amanda Gittins managed and leased the business from the family who sold the building last autumn/