THE owner of an award-winning catering trailer has expanded her business with a new cafe in Cwmbran.

Elizabeth Haynes’ trailer, Lizzy’s, was recognised as one of the best in the country at the Best Breakfast Awards 2015.

The catering trailer off Llantarnam Road has served breakfasts for more than two decades.

But now the independent Torfaen councillor has taken over Wendy’s Cafe in Oldbury Road, Old Cwmbran, and renamed it Lizzy’s Cafe.

She said: “It wasn’t an opportunity that was going to come along again.

“I decided to take the leap and take the risk.

“It’s building up nicely. It’s going really, really well and I’m very pleased.

“It’s a new business. Even though it was a cafe before, the business is new to me.”

She has purchased premises comprising the cafe and a vacant furniture shop nearby formerly known as Village Beds in Victoria Street.

Cllr Haynes is planning to turn the first floor of the shop, which was previously used as a storage area, into a two bedroom flat.

The St Dials ward councillor said the conversion could help to address a shortage of flats in Torfaen.

Torfaen council planning committee unanimously approved the conversion last month [May].

The new coffee shop has been open for around eight weeks.

Meanwhile, her sister Catherine is expected to take over the empty furniture shop in the future.

The new flat is to comprise a kitchen, bathroom, lounge and two bedrooms and there would also be two parking spaces for the cafe.

At the start of this year, we reported how Cllr Haynes’ trailer Lizzy's had been recognised at the Best Breakfast Awards, winning Best Food Van and Best in Wales gongs.

She has run the trailer with her mum Margaret Berry and said she may enter other competitions for her cafe in the near future.