A former student who ditched doing A-levels for a job in a shoe shop has found the perfect fit – running her own cafe.

Meg Beever, 21, opened her cafe, Bloc, at Huddersfield Road, Holmfirth, almost a year ago.

Now she employs 12 staff and has built up a healthy clientele for the cafe’s “brunchy” menu of toasted treats, coffee and cakes and all-day breakfasts.

The former Holmfirth High School student abandoned her A-levels at Huddersfield New College mid-way through her course “to learn on the job rather than in the classroom.”

She worked at shoe retailer Office in Kingsgate before deciding to realise her ambition of opening a cafe.

“I enjoyed working with people at Office, but then I saw this building in Holmfirth,” she said. “I’d always wanted a cafe – when I was a kid that was always the game I would play.”

Backed by her family and a bank loan, Meg, who lives at Meltham, set about turning the empty building into a welcoming cafe. Inside, Bloc seats 25 with a mixture of tables and bar stools while there are another six tables outdoors with an area complete with decking, awnings and outdoor heaters.

Bloc Cafe Holmfirth - Meg Beever, with her team (l-r) Ellie Schofield, Sam Travis, Rachel Raynes, Sen Wood, Meg Beever and Paige Bilbrough 28/09/17 (Pic by Dave Howarth)

“We get lots of different people,” said Meg. “The tables are great for people who want to meet up, but we also get a lot of people who come by themselves.”

Bloc is also popular with cyclists who can hang their cycles up safely on the railings where they can clearly see them and tuck into high-carb food before setting off on long-distance rides.

Said Meg: “Going from a shoe shop to a cafe, I didn’t know what to expect. It’s hard work. The things I thought would be easy have turned out to be hard, like juggling rotas.

“Bloc is a young, fresh place to go. I like to think customers can feel at home. We are a chatty group as well. I have a young team who are very enthusiastic about everything. For a lot of them it is their first-ever job.”

Avocado dishes, traditional English breakfasts and old-fashioned fare like Eggy Bread are among the favourites on the menu at Bloc, which is open seven days a week.

The name Bloc came about following a big family discussion, said Meg. “The name reflects the shape of the building, which is a block. My mum suggested the spelling because she thought it sounded cool. I thought ‘if my mum thinks it’s cool, then it isn’t!’ But it actually works!”