Charity tea room may close despite Ludwig filming — SkimNews
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- Liberty Tea Rooms and Community Hub in Hemel Hempstead may close permanently unless it raises £25,000 by the end of October, trustees said.
- BBC comedy drama Ludwig, starring David Mitchell, is filming its third series at the venue, which is temporarily closed through 7 October for production.
- Trustees described the volunteer-run charity as in an "extremely low cash position" and said it has already cut staffing costs to try to stay afloat.
- Production paid a fee to use the building, with chairman Mark Kitson saying the income arrived "at a time that we really need the extra funds."
- The tea room's frontage has been transformed to resemble a bank — its appearance before becoming a community venue — and a rain machine will be used for one scene.
- After filming wraps, the production team will restore the interior, repair a broken window, and update signage.
Why it matters: Liberty Tea Rooms offers meals, debt advice, and food bank parcels to vulnerable residents, not just tea and scones. A closure by end of October would remove that support network from a Hemel Hempstead high street that trustees themselves describe as already struggling.
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