An ex-school boss is setting up shop in a community woodland with a new business venture.

Ceri Porter is trading in schoolbooks and classrooms for artisan coffees and a barista apron.

The 52-year-old will be selling an assortment of hot and cold drinks, pastries and snacks from the Petite Retreat - a retro van - in Bearsted Woodland Trust.

Ceri, her sister and their mum had been the owners of the independent primary school, Shernold, in Queen’s Avenue, Maidstone, which closed in 2021 after suffering knock-on effects caused by the pandemic.

Low enrolment numbers and therefore low funds meant the family had to make the difficult decision.

The building was bought by a secondary academy for special educational needs and disabled pupils.

Ceri said: “We shut and then it was like ‘Oh my god what do we do know?’ because we had all worked together for years and years and suddenly it wasn’t there anymore.”

She worked at the Oak on the Green in Bearsted for three years and then as a school transport driver for special needs children, both jobs which she had “loved”.

But the mum-of-two says she has “always dreamt of owning a coffee shop” – even back when she was working at the school.

The Petite Retreat is the brainchild of Ceri and her and partner Neil Burrill, but Ceri will be the face of the business.

She said: “I was walking through the woodland trust one day and I just thought ‘This place could really do with a coffee place - there is nothing here at all’.

“I went home to Neil and told him and he said ‘Well why don’t we ask them?’ - I never thought they’d say yes.”

Initially, the couple had kept the plans a secret to not “jinx it”, but after a convincing first letter, subsequent meetings and negotiations, they were given the go-ahead for a pitch in the park.

“The Bearsted Woodland Trust themselves are very much all about the community and bring people to it by making them aware of it and giving a nice, safe space to go to,” said Ceri.

“We’ve lived in the village for years, I worked here for years so it was a natural thing for me to ask and for them to say yes.”

Bearsted Wood Trust Deputy Chairman, Adrian Bouwens said: ‘We are delighted to be able to welcome The Petite Retreat to our award-winning green space.”

“Community involvement is an important part of our mission and this new refreshment venture, being established as it is by two local entrepreneurs, will strengthen this involvement even more.”

The coffee business will operate out of a blue Citroen H van dating back from 1973.

Every day she and Neil’s daughter Ashleigh will be driving it to their spot in the woodland, right by the main entrance off Bearsted Church Landway, opposite the tennis and bowls clubs, where it will be open from 10am to 4pm.

“There’s no power steering - it’s not the easiest to drive but it’s a good little van,” laughed Ceri.

She will also be taking a sustainable approach to her new venture by using biodegradable coffee cups and beans that can be sourced back to the original farmer .

“The company I’m using, all the kernels they get rid of after roasting are given away to local garden centres for compost.

“We also want to make it as user-friendly as possible so we’ll have dog biscuits, bowls and poo bags.

“I want to join the woodland trust in the fact that it's all about providing for the community.”

They will also be looking at opportunities to set up at events such as Classic Cars & Retro Vintage on the Green, and the monthly Bearsted market.

Ceri, who had also worked as a bursar at Shernold school for 27 years, says she is both “nervous and excited” ahead of her new business opening this week.

“It’s that apprehension kind of thing, waiting for something to happen and then suddenly it’s here.

“We were driving through the village the other day in the van and everyone was really excited - I think the support will really be there and I’m hoping we will do well.”

And if her business is successful? Ceri said she would “love a fleet of vans everywhere”.

The Petite Retreat will open tomorrow (Friday) and will be open daily from 10am to 4pm.

As well as traditional coffee shop products, it will sell speciality teas and homemade smoothies.

Sausage rolls, cakes, Kent-sourced crisps and toasted teacakes will also be available.