A NEW cafe has opened its doors at Droitwich Lido following £40,000 of investment.

Hetty’s at the Lido, located in Worcester Road, Droitwich, held its grand opening on Easter Sunday.

More than 70 people turned out for the event, which saw special guests Sprocker Spaniel Molly and Dachshund Mr Slinky officially open the cafe, face-painting and an Easter egg hunt.

Owner Sue Hicks, aged 53, who is also a business manager at St George’s Catholic Primary School said: “The opening was amazing. We had about 20 people outside and 50 inside and we had people coming all day. It was really good.”

The cafe is part of Mrs Hicks’ business Aspens Vintage Events.

The team consists of Michele Cardinali, manager of Hetty’s at the Lido, Jo Shemwell, manager of Hetty’s Tea Room at the Civic Centre in Pershore, as well as cafe assistants Liz Stuart and Owen Thompson.

Hetty’s originated from a van, which is used to sell refreshments and food at weddings and festivals. It is operated by Mrs Hicks’ daughter Laura, Daniel Sparks and Grace Massey.

Speaking of her move into cafe ownership, she said: “I felt I needed more opportunities. I never thought I would own a couple of cafes.

“It is just great I feel really moved by the impact I can make on other people’s lives in the job that I have.”

Known as a keen entrepreneur, Mrs Hicks is also a managing director at Worcester-based business Insuraclean.

The Hetty's van was a vendor at Peaky Fighters events at Worcester Guildhall on Saturday.

Work on the venue included installation of a commercial cooker.

The Droitwich Spa Lido, which is one of the UK’s few remaining open-air saltwater swimming pools, is set to reopen in May.

The cafe is open from 9am to 4.30pm daily.

For more information go to aspensvintageevents.co.uk.