Firefighters open cafe Fat Lads on Bowling Back Lane

With more than 60 years between them in the fire service and over quarter of a century running their own building and roofing company, Steve Daykin, 60, and Dale Parnham, 62, have opened Fat Lads.

The former Charlie's cafe, based in Bowling Back Lane near several business units on the outskirts of the city centre, welcomed customers for the first time last month.

It has since achieved great success with both tradespeople and families enjoying the food on offer.

The cafe's menu includes hot and cold sandwiches, full breakfasts, and jacket potatoes (Image: Newsquest) "It has been a learning curve," Mr Daykin told the Telegraph & Argus.

"We thought it would be easier than the building trade.

"We are not going to be outside flinging blocks and on roofs in the freezing weather.

"The start of the week has been steady away. We are right in the middle of the units so a lot of builders come in.

"It is word of mouth that has worked for us.

"Saturday has been quite busy. We are getting couples and families in."

It is the owners' first foray into the food industry (Image: Newsquest) It was pure coincidence how the men came across the cafe.

They had been completing work in the flats above a neighbouring store. 

Mr Daykin added: "We got asked if we would renovate the flats above C.H. Woods and when we got there, the lady who had the cafe handed the keys back and asked if we'd go renovate the cafe as well.

"My body is falling to bits and my business partner has been in the building game since he was 15.

"We made this place so nice and thought why let anybody else have it?

"It took us nearly 15 months to turn it around."

It turned out to be their last building job.

The cafe was formerly named Charlie's (Image: Newsquest) A post on the cafe's Facebook page added: "Running a cafe would be so much easier they said, oh dear, to all those cafe owners out there I salute you .

"Three days in and I was thinking about locking myself in the cellar until closing time.

"What could go wrong in those three days did.

"From the phone going down to the freezer packing in, but we battled through.

"Mistakes have been made in the first four weeks but hopefully we have learned from them.

"We have tried to produce food of a good quality and value for money and by the number of regular customers we hope we have delivered this."