TV star who turned back on fame to open Greenwich cafe is left reeling by lockdown – but well-wishers are rallying round

A cafe owner whose brother, best friend and first customer died in the space of three months has raised almost £8,000 for her business, which was at risk of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Lizzie Cooper, who has owned Pistachios in the Park cafe in Greenwich Peninsula for 10 years, was forced to set up a fundraiser after her cafe did not qualify for any government loans or schemes. She had to let all her staff go except for one.

She said: “It was a hard, long, wet and windy winter. I had to take some time out to look after my best friend who had cancer and who I had known since I was two years old.

“She died at the end of the year. Then my brother died of a brain tumour. It was all over Christmas. It was horrible.

“So I wasn’t really at work and I thought ‘I’ll have to put my head down and do a lot of work’ and we were hoping for a good summer to make up for it. We had things in place financially for the summer, but then the pandemic hit. The day we closed the sun came out.”

To add to Lizzie’s already turbulent year, her first customer and regular at the cafe, Barry Newitt, died from Covid-19 in March.

Lizzie said: “Barry was quite a character. He was a dapper guy. He became quite famous. He did talks about the war and had a film on at the BFI. Lots of the contributions to the fundraiser were made in Barry’s name from other customers.”

But Lizzie had a slice of fame herself after an 11-year career in acting which saw her land roles in The Bill and Sky’s football drama, Dream Team.

She said: “I did a bit of everything. TV shows, adverts, independent films, B-movies. But I always wanted a cafe, even when I was at school. I got the cafe when I was doing well during my acting career and planned to keep up both, but I had always wanted to run the cafe.”

Lizzie said she opened the cafe after a lucky run-in with an old friend who offered her a business opportunity to join him.

She said: “I had been reading the book Yes Man where you have to say ‘yes’ to every opportunity, and he offered me the cafe, so I said ‘yes’.”

The fundraiser hit £2,000 in 12 hours, and at the time of writing was short of the £8,000 target by only £515.

Lizzie said: “I didn’t know how much to ask for at first. It makes you feel loved and cared for. I know the customers miss it.”

Lizzie said the donations will be used to keep the cafe going, get her staff back and freshen up the space, and anyone who contributes will be invited for a pizza and Prosecco party on the reopening night.

She said: “It feels like a new start. It’s been 10 years since we opened and we just got a new lease. I’m getting excited to see people. All my customers are my friends.”

To donate, go to: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/please-help-our-little-community-cafe?fbclid=IwAR3h9xLfPYt5jgyfJqz2Nr4eBeokqOrMKoi2BXn7ZeYAdzX_QBhICYgVwb8

Pictured top, from back: Lizzie, Barry, customer Anges Rajksa and staff member Yoave Matari