A COUPLE with a history in the arts have been appointed to run a cafe and community space as part of a £500,000 transformation.

Gaynor and Francesco La Rocca have been granted the lease to run the new premises at Market Place in Prescot.

It is part of the Prescot Townscape Heritage Initiative, following their successful bid to Knowsley Council earlier this year.

Gaynor, artistic director and CEO of Prescot-based MATE Productions and husband Francesco, a property lawyer, is also an actor with MATE Productions with a huge passion for food.

Gaynor has extensive experience of organising large and small scale high-profile creative events, most notably during her four years as a Creative Communities Manager for Liverpool European Capital of Culture 2008.

Francesco is also the son of Filadelo La Rocca who owned and ran a number of successful restaurants and cafes in Prescot, Rainhill and Widnes and opened Rocco’s an Italian restaurant on Eccleston Street in Prescot in the late seventies which and ran this for more than 10 years.

Gaynor said: “Francesco and I are overjoyed to be given this opportunity. We already have a long-standing relationship with Prescot which we consider to be our home. Our vision is to create a community cafe, a meeting place for friends, a centre for activity, entertainment and conversation in the heart of Prescot.”

Works are expected to be occupied by September.