New coffee shop River Coffee opens in iconic medieval church, River Church, near Ipswich waterfront

A new coffee shop opened at an iconic medieval church near Ipswich waterfront today.

River Church, located in Key Street, has been renovated into a bright, airy, and welcoming space for people to come for coffee and cake.

It is open from Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm and will serve a variety of products from Suffolk suppliers.

It contains free Wifi and, like other coffee shops, there will be a loyalty card reward scheme in place.

University of Suffolk students will also receive a discount.

All profits from River Coffee go directly to supporting the work of River Church - which opened a year ago, growing from 15 to a team of 150 in 12 months.

It will even provide refreshments during the Church's Sunday services.

The shop's owner, Byron Walkley, said he can't wait to see how the shop can fill Ipswich's needs.

River Coffee will be staffed by volunteers and will host events.

This includes meetings for babies and toddlers on Thursday mornings, featuring a soft play area.

There plans to set up meetings for people new to UK to improve their English skills and meet others, and a 'Re-Work' course to give unemployed people the confidence to get back into work.

Amy and Matt Key, leaders of River Church, said: “We are so excited about the launch of River Coffee.

“We want it to be the most welcoming place in Ipswich, where anybody—whether they need a caffeine boost or a shoulder to cry on—can come and find belonging.

“We hope that many people from the local community will make it a regular stop for coffee, snacks, and chats.”