Birmingham’s Damascena cafe donates £8,000 to Acorns Children’s Hospice

The team at Birmingham coffee house Damascena have raised £8,000 for the local charity Acorns Children’s Hospice as part of anniversary celebrations to mark the cafe’s 7th birthday.

Damascena – an independent coffee shop that specialises in freshly made Middle eastern cuisine – pledged to donate 10% of total sales to the charity during its 7th birthday week back in June.

Acorns Children’s Hospice was selected because it is dedicated to helping the families of local children with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, allowing them to make the most of their time together.

The idea proved popular with customers and the city-wide business raised £7,168 across its four sites, generously bumping it up to £8,000 before writing the cheque.

Damascena’s managing director Anas Zein Al-Abdeen presented the donation to West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and Acorns Ambassador Andy Street.

Presenting a cheque for £8,000 at the company’s Temple Row West venue in Birmingham’s Colmore Row, Al-Abdeen said, “We’re both grateful for and proud of what we’ve achieved over the past seven years and wanted to mark this milestone by repaying the kindness that Birmingham has shown us.

“We don’t think we could’ve celebrated in a better way than by fundraising for this truly worthy community cause. Thank you so much to our customers who have supported us during this time. We couldn’t have done it without you. And the money you’ve raised will be used to help bring some light to local families in the most difficult of circumstances”.

Established in 2014, Damascena has become a successful Brummie enterprise, now operating four venues across the city of Birmingham— including Temple Row West in the centre, Moseley Village, Harborne, and the Jewellery Quarter.

The cafe and eatery is due to open its fifth coffee shop next year at Lyndon House, Edgbaston, which will also be home to its headquarters and a barista school.