A new bar and restaurant is due to open after some of the work was completed by a talented craftsman who lost his sight.
No 43 Eat Drink Share is due to open in the Upper Tything in Worcester, with the ceremony set to be performed by Mark Hulme, known as ‘The Blind Craftsman’, after he played a key role in getting the business ready for its grand opening.
Mr Hulme works in partnership with Headway Worcestershire, a charity which supports people after they have suffered a brain injury, which was a cause of his blindness. Meanwhile, the finishing touches were underway at No 43 on Wednesday ahead of the grand opening at 4pm on Thursday.
BAR: Hawkstone will be served from this unique feature at the bar at No 43 (Image: Newsquest)
“Headway has made a huge difference to my life – it’s changed my life,” said Mr Hulme who runs a woodwork workshop with Headway, helping others improve their skills.
The 56-year-old has created the woodwork features of the new business, including the tabletops, but he and clients have also created woodwork items which will be for sale from the new business.
The bar and restaurant will serve sharing boards, small plates and pizzas. The bar will also serve Hawkstone, a premium British lager created by television presenter Jeremy Clarkson together with the Cotswolds Brewing Co. There will also be a wide variety of wines on sale at the bar, supplied by Evertons Wine Merchants in Worcester.
Born in Newcastle upon Tyne and now living in Northwick, Worcester, Mr Hulme has been blind for four years now after he developed a swelling in his brain.
EYECATCHING: The interior of No 43 Eat Drink Share in the Upper Tything in Worcester (Image: Newsquest)
He has found a new sense of purpose with Headway, honing the woodworking skills the self-taught craftsman first began to develop 20 years ago in his garage.
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Items he and clients have made range in price from £1 to around £300, including all manner of wares from charcuterie boards to clocks and chopping boards.
OWNER: Julia Jarrett, the owner of No 43 Ear Drink Share in Upper Tything in Worcester (Image: Supplied)
Mr Hulme said: “I took a long time to adjust but I had the help of Headway and my right-hand man, Gordon.”
Staff at No 43 feel it has been an ‘emotional path’ with Mr Hulme on board for the project. The team wanted to honour his contribution and that of Headway by having him perform the opening ceremony at 4pm on Thursday, calling him a ‘lovely man’.
The business, owned by Julia Jarrett, is open for the first four weeks on Thursdays (4pm to 11pm), Friday (3pm to midnight), Saturday (noon to midnight) and Sundays between noon and 8pm.
After a month, the business is set to open more during the day as a coffee shop with breakfasts and lunches available.”