The Caversham coffee hangout, Alto Lounge, will be holding a series of events this month to raise money for a local charity supporting children with brain tumours.

The first event was kickstarted yesterday (6/5) for the Coronation of King Charles III with a bake-off and will including a weekly quiz this evening (7/5).

Located on Church Street, the eatery will be supporting and raising money for Team Charlie, the charity set up in memory of Charlie Ilsley who died of a brain tumour at the age of 13.

Alto Lounge has started this fundraisng initiative to as a way of connecting with the community by working with local groups, charities, organisations and businesses.

Each month they will choose a different charity to support.

This month-long fundraiser will also include an open mic event on the 30thMay, where customers can also take advantage of a 'Tapas Tuesday' deal and an activity for children between 3pm-6pm on Wednesday 17th May to try their hand at the cookie decoration station.

Louise Wisniewski, Community Liaison at Alto Lounge said: “We are super excited to have Team Charlie as our charity for May - many people remember Charlie and it is such a worthy cause created in his memory.

“The response we’ve received since we started the initiative only a short while ago has been extremely positive and it’s great that so many people are getting behind us to support it. It is rapidly growing in momentum and we’re seeing more and more customers, old and new, come along to not only help raise much needed funds for local causes but also have a good time themselves.

“Anyone who would like to perform at our open mic event just needs to DM us on Instagram to book a slot. For any customers who want to, we have a 30-minute karaoke slot at 10pm which is just a bit of fun to finish off the night!”

Toni Ilsley, Charlie’s mother and Trustee of Team Charlie said: “I’m really touched that Alto reached out to say they wanted to help us. It’s such a brilliant initiative, not just in terms of fundraising but it’s also a great opportunity for the community at large to get together and have some fun. It lifts everyone’s sprits.”