POPULAR Trowbridge cafe The Lunch Box is hoping to get a fresh lease of life in its new home in Fore Street, with owner Jane Kelly praising her customers for their “amazing” support.

Mrs Kelly, who has run the cafe for 17 years, feared for the future of The Lunch Box after learning that the landlord of its previous premises in Pitman Mews had decided to not renew the lease.

The lease for the property was due to end in August and Mrs Kelly had been on the hunt for new location over the past few months, before one of her customers recommended she tried Cafe No12.

Mrs Kelly, whose husband Trevor ran the cafe three years before her, said it has been a worrying few months for both her and her customers, but she is now looking forward to a fresh start.

“It has been a nightmare for us over the last few months since we found out that we would not be able to stay in Pitman Mews and I’ve had people asking everyday whether we had found somewhere else,” said Mrs Kelly.

“We looked at a few different options and then a customer said to try Cafe No12, so one day I plucked up the courage and approached the guy that had it and said we needed somewhere.

“It is ideal for us as it is in a better spot for passing trade and it has much more space inside. It is also more modern and, importantly, it is easily accessible for our older customers and their wheelchairs.

“I have had so much support from our regular customers and we had loads of cards, flowers and cake when we opened on Monday. It’s been emotional to see how appreciative they have been.”

The cafe is hugely popular among elderly residents in Trowbridge, especially those in Raleigh Court, due to it being easily accessible and close to the town centre – something that is still true at its new location in Fore Street.

Mrs Kelly is now confident The Lunch Box can prosper and is looking at new ways to expand the service it provides, including opening later and possibly introducing Sunday lunches.

“I’m chuffed to bits and I can’t thank my customers enough, as they have been absolutely amazing. I’m glad I can carry on serving them as they are more than just customers to us; they are like friends.

“There is much more scope at our new location to do something a bit different, as well as continuing our lunch meals. We can provide coffee and cake and possibly look at opening in the evenings and doing Sunday lunches, so there are many exciting options open to us.”