Abergavenny Station is often the first impression visitors to the town will get when they step out of their train, which is why the welcome they receive is all the more important.

The Whistle Stop Cafe, based inside the station, is all about that with the smell of coffee and breakfast winding its way down the platform most mornings.

But their latest goal is more focussed on giving old furniture a new lease of life for those wanting to take a pew and decamp for a while.

“Initially we wanted to give the cafe more character and make it more inviting for visitors and our regulars too,” said Sarah Shaw, who runs the cafe.

“We stumbled across Home Makers and instantly knew they would be able to offer us something nobody else would be able to. The furniture we have had from them so far and everything that is in the pipeline is really going to set us up to help make the station more inviting and comfortable.”

Naturally, there is also an element of practicality to using up-cycled furniture. It is cheaper, it supports a local charity and it goes some way to helping protect the natural environment by fixing up what already exists instead of simply ordering brand new.

The partnership between the Whistle Stop Cafe and Home Makers also works both ways, with existing furniture from the cafe being sent back the other way to be transformed into something wonderful.

“Home Makers are always on the phone to me when they get something in that might be of interest, and I always find it so difficult to say no,” Sarah said.

“They will also take our used furniture away such as tables and chairs to give those a new lease of life as well, so I would love to think we have started a cycle of people buying pre-loved furniture and thinking twice about just throwing stuff away.”

By partnering with the charity, which now diverts over 300 tonnes of waste from landfill sites every year, the cafe is also maintaining its commitment to keeping up with the station building itself.

The independent business rents their premises from Transport for Wales and would need to their permission to make any major changes to the inside of the building. The structure itself is also Grade II listed, having been built in 1854 by Charles Liddell, the engineer for the Newport, Abergavenny & Hereford Railway.

The cafe is still housed inside the handsome two-storey villa that remains largely intact, meaning the ‘heritage’ feel Sarah and the teams at the cafe and Home Makers could not be more appropriate.

Among some of the items already in the cafe include new tables and chairs, which have been reupholstered to suit the period look, as well as as an old radiogram which they hope to get up and running soon to spin some records on.

The cafe opens up early, at 5am for early morning commuters, but is open through the day until 3pm for locals and visitors to enjoy.