A BROMSGROVE community hub is toasting itself with tea after being awarded a five-star rating in the latest hygiene inspection on its cafe.

The Starlight Cafe in Humphrey Avenue, Charford - run by Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (bdht), the district's largest provider of affordable housing - got top marks in the assessment by Worcestershire County Council last month.

The council's environmental health department sprung a surprise inspection on the café, which is next to the Starlight Community Centre, and offers not only refreshments but also a range of services for local people.

The inspector assessed the facilities and questioned staff on their food hygiene knowledge.

Manager of the Starlight Centre, Darran Moore, said: “We are really pleased and extremely proud of all of our staff here at Starlight for enabling us to achieve this excellent rating.

“We take health and safety very seriously and adhere to strict guidelines to ensure our hygiene standards are second to none.

"All of our staff receive thorough in-house training.

“I would like to particularly recognise our volunteer, Katrina Jones, who fielded all of the inspector’s questions expertly.

"Our certificate is now proudly displayed in the window.”

The Starlight Centre's courses and services include youth groups, disability youth groups, autism and Asperger syndrome groups, weekly craft groups and drug and alcohol recovery sessions.

It also offers Heart of Worcestershire College courses, including a nine-week basic IT course, which is currently running, and a numeracy course set to start soon.

A "healthy eating on a budget" course is due to be launched by bdht in November.

The centre is staffed by a team of dedicated volunteers, made up of former service users and people from the local community, some of whom have learning difficulties and gain work-based and life skills through their roles.

The cafe is open Monday to Thursday from 10am to 4pm and on Friday from 10am to 2pm.