A RANGE of sweet treats will be served from a cafe and a food van by a charitable couple.

Jay and Linda Barham, of Main Road, Dovercourt, have won their battle with Tendring Council to run a charity tea and cake stall and cafe.

The couple asked the council in February if they could sell refreshments from a van in West End Lane - but their request was refused by the council, which told them it was not prepared to create a pitch at the site because it had previously proved unviable.

But the council has now made a U-turn on the decision and allowed Jay, 36, and Linda, 70, to opened the site on Saturday.

Jay, who used to work in a supermarket bakery, makes cakes for events and all profits are given to charities, mostly Parkinson’s UK, Harwich Foodbank and Sponsor a Sibling.

He runs Butter Cakes and Sweets with Linda and their new site will be open on Saturdays, Sunday, bank holidays and school holidays from 10am until 4pm.

He said: “I want to thank the hundreds of people who emailed the council.

“I also want to thank councillors Dave McLeod, Garry Calver, Jo Henderson and Maria Fowler for their support.”

The couple will also be opening a new pitch for their cake business at the new Kingsway Plaza on June 3.

A Tendring Council spokesman said: “As previously reported, a full tender process was held to determine the stallholder at this pitch.

“The end result means this couple now have the pitch, and we wish them every success with it.”