A new ice-cream parlour has opened in Bolton ­— alongside a popular cafe.

It is based in Cafe Pierre run by Emmaus, a charity which helps the homeless.

It serves up everything from scoops to sundaes, all made by local diary farm, Mrs Dowson.

The ice cream parlour’s first customers were Dot Gidman, aged 83, and her two-year-old great-grandson, Oliver Allen, who are regulars at Café Pierre, another initiative based in Emmaus’ Bolton courtyard.

Dot said: “I think we’ve been through everything on the café menu between us: jackets, toasties and teacakes. We always buy a piece of the cake to take home. Now when we come in, we can have ice cream too, which is fantastic.”

Janine Jones, another café regular and Oliver’s great aunty, said: “You can afford to bring all the great grandchildren here, not just one, and let them choose from ice cream.

“Then we all go and look at the toys in the charity shop. My great grandson loves looking at Coco the parrot. You can see her through the window in the door down the corridor!”

The cafe also has Fruits of the Forest sorbet available for people who are vegan.

The cafe has a conservatory and cottage dining area or in the al fresco seating area, based on Fletcher Street.

Come sit inside our conservatory or cottage dining area. Or why not enjoy the gardens in our covered al fresco seating area. Ice cream is the perfect end to a light bite and a hot or cold drink from Café Pierre.

Emmaus is a charity co-operative which operates a residential community offering a home, support, and training to people building back from homelessness. The Bolton community first opened almost twenty years ago and is now home to twenty-two people who have experienced homelessness.

Alongside the residential community, Emmaus Bolton operates a variety of initiatives, including a café, garden centre, and store selling upcycled goods. All profits are put back into the enterprise, allowing Emmaus to continue their operation to help the homeless.

Tony Stephenson, Director of Emmaus Bolton, said: “We wanted to open an ice-cream parlour to add something fun, new and unique to our courtyard of charity shops and services. As far as we know, we are the only charity in Bolton serving delicious dairy farm ice-cream!

“Because many people come to our café for a low-cost meal, we’ve tried to keep prices as low as possible. We think the price of a cone with a flake is very reasonable.

“So far there has been a great response from our supporters. We’re excited to see new people visiting who are finding out what Emmaus homelessness charity does and how we help the wider community, from our on-site food bank to our fabric and metal recycling.

“Some people are even coming back to try all ten flavours, which is a testimony to how tasty Mrs Dowsons Dairy Farm ice-cream is.”

The Emmaus Bolton ice-cream parlour is open Monday to Saturday from 10am-3pm.