The world’s first Fusion Energy Café will soon be ready to serve up a menu of tasty treats and inspirational ideas that will fuel hungry appetites, minds and ambitions.
Located at The Bridge Skills Hub in Worksop, the café will help people to understand what fusion energy is, why it is important, especially in Bassetlaw, and inspire a generation of people who could work in this exciting sector.
The café’s interior resembles the inside of a tokamak – a machine used in the creation of fusion plasmas – which could one day provide near limitless clean energy, in part from the prototype fusion power plant that will be developed at West Burton.
Now that the internal construction of the café is complete, local businesswoman, Diana Kaponas will be ready to welcome customers from Monday 11th November.
Diana has managed successful food establishments in Worksop for over 28 years, including Café Neo, and can’t wait to start this new exciting venture.
Diana said: “The Fusion Energy Café is going to be more than just a place to enjoy food and drinks – it will be a space dedicated to connecting with the local community and businesses. I’m excited to use my experience in the catering and hospitality industry to support and offer training to those interested in learning about this field of work.
“This is an exciting time for Bassetlaw. Being given the opportunity to learn more about fusion energy, while encouraging others to explore the sector and the skills and employment opportunities it will bring to the area, is something I’m proud to be part of.”
The Fusion Energy Café promises to serve up a mouthwatering menu that takes inspiration from the fusion process, including Power Plant Burgers, Meteorite Melts and All-Star Salad.
The Fusion Energy Café will feature digital displays, guest talks, and various events to highlight that a career in fusion is both rewarding and a viable long-term option.
The café will also help to provide training and volunteering opportunities in the catering and hospitality sector. This accompanies the ambition for the café to equip local people with the knowledge, skills and aspirations that will contribute to the broader fusion energy sector.
Cllr Charles Adams, Cabinet Member for Business and Skills at Bassetlaw District Council, said: “This is an extremely exciting venture that will help people to understand what fusion energy is and why it is so important, as well as providing educational and training opportunities, and a good cuppa!
“This is one of the first steps of bringing fusion energy to Bassetlaw, which will help to inspire a new generation of people who could one day work on the prototype Fusion Energy Plant at West Burton.”
Funded by Bassetlaw District Council and the UK Atomic Energy Agency (UKAEA), in collaboration with North Notts Business Improvement District (NNBID), the café will in the future support a range of upskilling opportunities.
Sally Gillborn MBE, chief executive at North Notts BID, said: "As part of North Notts BID’s 2022-2027 business plan, we pledged to deliver a community café that could provide hands-on working experience for people with learning difficulties. The Fusion Energy Café offers the perfect opportunity to collaborate with Bassetlaw District Council, UKAEA and a successful local business owner in Diana to develop the world's first fusion café at The Bridge Skills Hub, which strongly aligns with our business vision.
“The café will be a tremendous environment for local people to develop hospitality experience while providing a dedicated long-term space to educate the community on the fusion energy industry, in line with the development of the STEP Fusion Energy plant.”
Fusion has the potential to deliver safe, sustainable and low carbon energy for generations to come. It could be transformative for energy security and important in the fight against climate change.
The Fusion Energy Café will launch on Monday 11th November with the opening hours of: Mon – Fri – 8:30am to 5pm, Sat – 9am to 3pm.
For more information, please visit https://fusionenergycafe.org/
Last Updated on Monday, November 4, 2024