TWO women, whose interest in community work first brought them together, have combined a building, dating back to the sixteenth century, and good home cooking into a winning formula.

Their caf, Wedges, was started with the help of local business support agency, Newport & Gwent Enterprise.

Julie Ayer and Lynne Jones-Rodgers first met when they both worked together at All Saints Church in Hereford.

On leaving the church, they decided to start a business together. "One evening, quite by chance, we talked about working for ourselves, rather than working for someone else," Lynne explains

"Neither of us are trained cooks, but Julie had managed the caf at All Saints Church, and both of us are good everyday cooks, with an interest in food. So we decided to open our own cafe."

Julie and Lynne spent the next 12 months planning to start their business, during which time they took on casual jobs.

Julie explains: "Neither of us wanted nine-to-five jobs, so we worked for a local nursery, which gave us both enough flexibility to take time off when we needed to."

They used this time to work on their business plan, carry out market research and search for premises. "It was hard work in the time running up to opening the caf.

"We looked at a number of premises in a number of locations, but both of us liked Monmouth and we were very lucky to come across 94, Monnow Street," says Lynne.

At this point, Julie and Lynne realised that they needed some business advice and turned to Newport and Gwent Enterprise for guidance.

"We met Jon Hughes, enterprise manager, and Gwyn Jones, senior business adviser, who were both very enthusiastic about the idea," says Julie. "They helped us to improve our business plan, provided funding and, since, have helped us to take on staff.

"Even now, we still maintain contact, knowing that if we need help, we can just give them a call."

Wedges - the Monmouth Coffee Shop opened its doors in November 2000.

"We offer a wide range of freshly home- made sandwiches, cakes and pastries, and are always looking to try out new recipes," explains Lynne.

"We like to think that we offer something a little bit different in an inviting and welcoming atmosphere. And as a small business, we support other businesses by using local produce whenever we can."

Julie and Lynne have also increased seating space by opening up the garden to customers during the summer months.

However, trading in Monmouth has not been worry-free. Wedges, like many other businesses, was hit hard during the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001.

"Business was progressing well until foot-and-mouth struck some of the farms in the Monmouth area," says Lynne.

"This had a tremendous knock-on effect on the town. Tourists dried up and a number of small businesses failed during the six months.

"However, we were lucky that many locals started to come to Wedges and continued to do so after the crisis passed."

"Julie and Lynne are two dedicated ladies who haven't had the easiest few years since starting their business," says Gwyn Jones. "However, their commitment and enthusiasm has helped to see them through the foot-and-mouth epidemic and flooding, both of which have had a negative impact upon their business.

"We have gladly helped them with pricing, marketing and funding for new staff."

In addition to the coffee shop, Julie and Lynne also provide outside catering for weddings and other functions.

"We are keen to provide exactly what each couple wants and gladly cater for special dietary requirements.

"Many of the weddings we cater for take place at Treowen House, near Monmouth, and we already have a number of bookings for next year," explains Julie.

Julie and Lynne intend to maintain the high standards they have worked so hard to achieve, and also plan to create new menus regularly to try to cater to everyone's tastes.

This creativity, an unrelenting determination and experience have all the ingredients for a recipe for success!