Hungry? Carly’s new café is so convenient

Carly Booth, 50, was hunting for premises when she spotted that the borough council was offering to lease the disused WCs in Ilkeston.

She and her partner have now set to work transforming the loos at Gallows Inn Fields into a swish eatery – after Carly posted a Facebook snap of herself holding the keys.

The couple aim to open their sandwich bar and deli in around five weeks. It will be called Gallows Grub. Carly, who lives in Ilkeston, said: “We saw this place pop up and thought it would be absolutely ideal. It is more spacious than it looks and we will even have tables inside as well as outdoor seating.”

The mum has a background in catering. She previously worked for Derbyshire County Council and had a job supplying meals for local schools.

Carly described her café venture as a 50th birthday present to herself. The refurbishment of the loos, which closed almost two years ago, has so far seen her and partner Ellis remove some 34 tons of rubble. A video that Carly posted online showed her beaming as she wielded a sledgehammer to remove an internal wall. She promised: “We will be serving all kinds of food – from breakfast cobs and paninis to jacket potatoes and pastries.”

Messages congratulating the mum on her new venture included one from Erewash’s MP Adam Thompson, who said: “Amazing, best of luck!”

Celebrated local character the “Ilson Gnome” vowed: “I’ll be wandering down for some tuck!”

Laura Berry lamented the loss of the WCs in another Facebook post but commented: “It is great to see that they are at least being used and for something else that's convenient and contributes to our economy.”

Erewash councillor Curtis Howard, who is Lead Member for Town Centres, Regeneration and Planning, said: “We are delighted that Carly is putting what is actually a rather attractive building to good use – and wish her the very best.”

Find out more about Carly’s project and view her video  at #comegrabsomegrub

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