16 hours Ago
In a much-needed boost for Rayleigh High Street, the new Manzano Lounge will open to customers on Wednesday, February 12. It is joining a Lounge venue in Southend and one in Billericay High Street. The opening date confirmation comes just days after the announcement that both Lloyds and Halifax banks would be closing, while the long-standing Factory Shop also confirmed plans to shut.
Cheryl Roe, a Rayleigh town councillor, said: “I am pleased to see the old Barclays bank will be occupied, it is another building that will not remain empty. “Rayleigh is generally an older persons town and there is a lot of eateries and such here, that gets people worried about variety but I think this is good. “I’ve seen a lot of comments from people that are excited about this and I enjoy anything like this, anything with a social element coming to town is welcomed and I will be giving them a try.
“You can’t doom them until you try them and people can be quick to complain but I’ve got emails about that site so many times, it was an ugly site and not acceptable. “To have something moving in there and fixing it is really great.” John English, head of community at Loungers, said: “We’re so looking forward to opening the doors of Manzano Lounge.
“We hope our family-friendly environment and top-notch food and drink offering will prove popular with local residents. We are passionate about integrating genuinely into the communities we serve, so we are looking forward to meeting everyone and to playing our part at the heart of Rayleigh’s food and drink scene.” Manzano Lounge will have board games, books, and colouring pencils for children, and highchairs and baby changing facilities.
The venue will welcome people to host meetings and events, such as book and knitting clubs and parent and baby meets..
