Valentine's Craft Fair

Lots of lovely handmade items were available on the stalls of our Valentine's Craft Fair last Sunday - the designers did not disappoint! The weather meant that town was quieter than normal, but the stallholders were keen to show off their beautiful wares. One of the great things about events like these is that the designers are all from Lichfield and surrounding areas, meaning that by buying from them you're supporting our local artists!

Sweet Little Knitted Things - Lesley is a knitting queen and has produced a fabulous range of knitting kits

Sally's Shed - A beautiful assortment of jewellery and decorations

Little Miss Avocado - Bryony's stall consisted of lots of pretty hand-felted bags and accessories

Jess' Tea Shop - Gorgeous and unique kitsch kitchen textiles 

The Curious Magpie - Erika makes macrame jewellery and is running a workshop at The Spark in March

Stitch Galore - Tracey's stunning and intricate hand-stitched cards, brooches and purses

Blue Strawberry - Lucy's stunning array of fabric hearts

To All Musicians, Lichfield and Further Afield

Imagine this...a venue you can play at where the audience engage with your music, listening to you performing your carefully crafted songs with a keen ear, in an intimate, relaxed and low key atmosphere. 

No need to imagine. Those of you who have played at our Open Mic Nights will know that the venue we're describing is The Spark.  We've already hosted gigs from bands such as The Strumtroopers and The Offbeat, and are looking for more unique artists to play. If you're a gigging musician and want to play at our place, get in touch at info@thesparkcafebar.co.uk.

Our New Year's Resolution...

...is to keep up with the blogging! We haven't been too good on updating this blog recently, but from now on we'll endeavour to keep you up-to-date with what's been happening at The Spark. In the meantime, here are some reasons why you might join us...

• We are independently owned
• We try whenever and wherever possible to source our ingredients locally to help support other local businesses
• We grind our ethically sourced coffee beans on demand for each individual coffee we serve to create the freshest and smoothest coffees
• We have a wide range of organic teas on offer, so there is something for everyone
• We provide take away hot drinks for those on the go
• We serve good quality wines, spirits and other alcoholic beverages from 11am until closing
• We have free Wi-Fi as well as free daily newspapers for the benefit of our customers
• We have a full calendar of free clubs and events which are added to regularly to help with that feeling of community
• We host a large range of workshops for people who want to try something new, meet new people or take an existing hobby that one step further
• We offer an extensive food and drink menu which is served throughout the day and evening so people can have what they fancy when they fancy it
• We welcome constructive feedback from all our customers to help us improve our services in any way we can

And finally...we want to bring something new, different and exciting to the city of Lichfield!

We're hoping you'll visit us soon!

We're looking for staff...

The Spark Cafe Bar and Events is looking for staff. Please see the job descriptions below for more details.

PERMANENT FULL TIME VACANCY FOR A CAFE BAR CHEF

DESCRIPTION

We are looking for an enthusiastic Cafe Bar Chef. Duties will centre on food preparation and cooking using locally sourced, good quality ingredients. As food is homemade and cooked to order, the successful candidate must have the necessary skills to prepare and make dishes from scratch and present them to a high standard in a timely manner.  The successful candidate will also be expected to adhere to high standards of kitchen hygiene and safety. In addition to this, duties may also include catering for special events and functions.

We are a small team who work together closely and as such additional tasks may be assigned as and when necessary.

HOURS

Approximately 40-45 hours per week, over 6 days and with some split shifts - the successful candidate must be flexible.

QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate should be qualified to at least NVQ level 2 or equivalent and have a current level 2 food safety certificate and/or have the necessary experience to fulfil this role.

SALARY

On application

HOW TO APPLY

You can apply for this vacancy by handing in your CV or by emailing your CV to info@thesparkcafebar.co.uk.

Applicants should also attach a covering letter explaining why they feel they are suitable for the role.

September's Open Mic Night

On Thursday 29th, we held our second Open Mic Night and again, there were some great performances. Take a look at a video of The Offbeat - a Lichfield band aged between 15 and 17. Amazing talent.

Workshops kick off....

The Spark has hosted our first workshops over the past few days. There's more to come in October - we're hosting two Art and Stitch workshops, including one for children during half-term, a songwriting workshop and a cupcake decorating workshop. Visit the Socialise tab of our website for more details. But in the meantime, take a look at some pics from Kirsty Smith's Hand Felted Flower Brooch Workshop. There was lots of fun and laughter and every brooch was a work of art!

The Strumtroopers take The Spark

A great night on Thursday night as The Strumtroopers entertained us with their unique style. With an array of ukuleles and a pair of bongos, we were treated to irreverent versions of songs both old and new, from Abba and Soft Cell to Lady Gaga. We hope they'll be coming back next month, but in the meantime, take a look at the clip to see them in action.