Who is Junior
Harpaul Singh Bola or as we all know him as Junior, is a loving, caring, brave family man and good friend to many.
A Maidenhead resident for many years, Junior was actually born in a Derbyshire village, where his passion for retail stemmed at a young age, taking his first footsteps as a toddler into the family shop and have the locals cooing over him.
Fast forward a few years, the family move to Berkshire where they owned a business in London. Junior would wake up extra early to accompany his dad not because he had to, but simply because he wanted to.
Junior went on to complete his education and achieve a degree with honours in construction, but his love for the family business would see Junior work alongside his dad. Through this time they spent together they developed a very special, unbreakable bond.
Both Father and Son worked together and grew the family business, until the pandemic struck.
With the whole country in lock down, Junior now married with two adorable children wanted to do something different, something local which would give him more time with his family and just like that along came Ockwells Cafe & Soft Play.
Over several months Junior and his father worked closely in renovating the cafe taking inspiration from the independent coffee shops in Shoreditch, Hackney and Lambeth. Juniors passion was that the coffee had to be fresh and food has to be high quality. With a few minor final touches to be made the cafe was ready to open in January 2021. Unfortunately at the same time Junior was tragically diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer and sadly passed away in March 2021.
With the family completely heart broken and traumatised by this loss the cafe remained closed for a number of months.
After a series of discussions the family felt it was only right to open the cafe, as this is what Junior was working towards and what he would have wanted.
It has been a bumpy journey, a steep learning curve and we will admit we haven't always got it right but our intentions are pure and we want to leave a lasting legacy in Junior's name.
So sit back relax and enjoy the freshly brewed coffee and welcome to Junior's Cafe & Soft Play (formally Ockwells Cafe).
Junior in the Community
Junior in the community is our way of giving back to the community and further cementing Junior's name and legacy.
There are a number of great causes that Junior's Cafe & Soft Play are proud to sponsor.
locally Junior's Cafe & Soft Play supports and are proud sponsors of the Farnham Powerchair Football Club who are a group of parents and volunteers, providing the first ever powerchair football club in the local area. The club provides the opportunity for disabled adults and children to participate in this exciting and fast growing team sport.
Internationally Junior's Cafe & Soft Play have supported a village in Punjab, India by supplying them with a hydraulic water cooler system as well as providing the village with land to develop a fully equipped gym, to support the village in its fight against drugs.
Watch this space for more
