Harehills ❤️ Love

Welcome to the second day of the 2025 Harehills Good News Advent Calendar!

Yesterday, we looked at how bricks and mortar can change a community with Fusion 8. Today, we are opening the door on something a little warmer, a little tastier, and equally transformative: the CATCH Up Café. 

Nestled within the vibrant grounds of CATCH (Community Action To Create Hope) on Hovingham Avenue, this isn’t your average coffee shop. While you can certainly get a fantastic brunch or a slice of homemade cake, the real menu here is one of opportunity. The café is a social enterprise entirely built and run by local volunteers and young people. For many of the staff, this is their first taste of the workplace, providing a safe, supportive environment to learn vital hospitality, finance, and customer service skills.

For those who might be new to the area, CATCH is a phenomenon in Leeds youth work. Over the last decade, they have transformed a disused, anti-social wasteland into a “wonderland” of community assets, including a peace garden, a multi-use sports field, and even an educational farm housing goats and alpacas. They believe that greatness exists in every child, and they provide the mentorship to unlock it.

Their impact has not gone unnoticed. CATCH is the winner of the 2024 Child Friendly Leeds “Youth Group of the Year”, a title that cements their status as one of the city’s most vital and innovative organisations.

Whether you visit for the “Soup-er Saturdays,” the farm tours, or just a midweek coffee, you aren’t just buying a drink—you are investing in the next generation of Harehills.  

Other places to feature this amazing story:

CATCH Leeds Official Site:(https://www.catchleeds.org/catch-up-cafe/)

Leeds Knights:(https://leedsknights.com/news/catch-leeds-and-the-knights-team-up)

Child Friendly Leeds:(https://wearechildfriendlyleeds.com/2024/06/14/child-friendly-leeds-awards-2024-the-shortlist/)