Salford's travelling teapot café to close down after 'real rollercoaster of a year'

The owners behind Salford’s travelling teapot café have announced they will be ceasing trading after ‘trying endlessly’ to make the business work.

The Travelling Teapot, run by business partners Maria Williams and Vicky Brunwin, has been located at Buille Hill Park since February. However, the owners spoke last month of struggling with limited footfall.

Speaking to the M.E.N in July, Maria, who lives in Ordsall, said their attempts to find a new street spot for their café venture had proven to be unsuccessful. “We feel like we’ve been passed from pillar to post whenever we’ve asked for a new spot,” she explained.

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“We’re not looking to make loads of money, we just want to survive and earn a liveable wage. We just want to be on a level playing field where we can do what we do.”

Maria and Vicky said they have now been forced to shut down the business due to the DWP’s rules on Universal Credit and Self-employment. The pair said that as they have failed to hit their minimum income floor target in the first twelve months of trading, they will have to cease trading.

The pair, who sold hot drinks alongside cakes and snacks out of a converted 1974 Fisher Holivan vintage caravan, said their last day of trading will be on September 9 following the ‘rollercoaster year’.

“We would like to thank everybody that has supported us during our first year in business,” the pair said in a statement. “It's been a real rollercoaster of a year and we have loved every second we have spent trading. Meeting all our lovely customers.

“We have tried endlessly to secure a pitch that will provide a living wage, attending every event we could. Sadly, it