THE timeline for the refurbishment and reopening of The Tans restaurant in Hexham was rolled out at a public meeting on Thursday.

Hosted by Judy Lloyd, who led the community campaign to save the restaurant that provided work and rehabilitation for people with mental ill health, the meeting provided a platform for the new charity at its helm.

The Hextol Foundation is about to take over the lease for the premises relinquished by the Opus Project, run under the auspices of the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust, when the funding was pulled earlier this year.

And it was now in the process of resurrecting the service itself, said chief executive Chris Milner. Indeed, Hextol had already welcomed some of The Tans’ familiar faces back into the fold.

“We want to reassure people that the service once provided by The Tans will continue under the Hextol Foundation,” he said.

“This charity is all about giving a sense of purpose to people who are disabled or disadvantaged by helping to develop their skills and confidence through work and focused activity.

“We are all about creating a positive transformation in the quality of their lives and that makes Hextol and The Tans a good fit.”

Established in 2007 by Mr Milner himself, Hextol has 10 employees and eight volunteer staff based at its main premises on Gilesgate, opposite Hexham Community Centre.

That building houses the bulk of its operations - four businesses in catering, gardening, decorating, and packaging and distribution. It also has an offshoot in Newcastle doing contract grounds maintenance.

The charity receives no Government funding. Its money is raised predominantly through the sale of its own services and applying for grants.

“The Tans was a loss-making enterprise and we want to turn that around,” said Mr Milner. “But we are a small charity, so we will need help to make it work.”

The Hexham community can help in four ways: come in and use the Hextol services; act as a sponsor for some of the job skills training, which cost around £10 an hour to deliver; buy items of equipment; or enrol as a volunteer supervisor.

Hextol operations manager Tim Morton said The Tans will remain a vegetarian restaurant offering a take-away service, with the addition of fine quality coffee.

The aim is to re-open the new look restaurant in March, but before that there is a lot of work to do.

The landlord is overhauling the upstairs floor of the property, work that includes lifting floors, so the refurbishment of the restaurant itself cannot begin until that is completed.

Further information about the charity is available at www.hextol.org.uk