Revive Cafe has no paid staff. Everyone behind our counter - baristas, chefs, washer-uppers - gives their time free, so every penny from our £6 full English and handmade burgers can fund help for local people. We'll train you, work around your week, and keep you in coffee while you're on shift.
Every coffee poured and breakfast served at Revive directly funds emergency food, mental health support and youth work in Norwich. But our volunteers will tell you they get just as much out of it as they put in.
Barista training on our Green Farm espresso machine, kitchen skills, food hygiene certificates and customer service experience - all free, all yours to keep.
The cafe exists to fund emergency food parcels, wellbeing support and youth work happening right here in NR2. Your shift is what makes that possible.
Students, retirees, career changers, new-to-Norwich folk - our crew comes from everywhere and genuine friendships are part of the deal. And yes, there's always a laugh.
Volunteer regularly and we'll happily provide a reference for jobs, university or apprenticeships - plus experience that genuinely stands out to employers.
Of all the volunteering opportunities in Norwich, ours might be the tastiest. Every role comes with full training, a buddy for your first shifts, and free coffee. Most volunteers give one shift a week of a few hours, but we'll flex around you - and lots of the team rotate between roles. Not sure a cafe is your thing? We wrote an honest guide to volunteering across Norwich.
Coffee, frappes & latte art
Full English & handmade burgers
The friendly face of Revive
The engine room of the cafe
Instagram, TikTok & photography
Cakes, traybakes & sweet treats
No interviews, no pressure, no being thrown in at the deep end. Everyone follows the same friendly path - at whatever pace suits you.
Apply below, email us, or just pop in for a coffee and a chat. We'll talk about what you enjoy, what you fancy trying, and when you're free.
Join us for a relaxed taster shift with a buddy alongside you the whole time. See how the cafe runs, meet the team, and find out if we're your kind of people.
Learn your role on the job with hands-on training - coffee, kitchen, front of house - plus food hygiene and allergen basics for anyone handling food.
Earn recognised certificates, pick up new roles when you fancy a change, and after a few months of regular shifts we'll gladly write you a reference.
We take training seriously - it keeps our customers safe and gives you qualifications and experience you can take anywhere. Anyone handling food trains in line with UK food safety requirements.
The industry-standard certificate for anyone preparing or handling food, arranged and paid for by us, with refreshers as recommended.
Training on the 14 major allergens and safe food labelling, so every customer can eat with confidence.
In-house training from espresso fundamentals through milk steaming to latte art, on a proper commercial machine.
Volunteer regularly and we'll provide a personal reference for employers, universities or apprenticeships.
Revive opened on 1 April 2025 as an outdoor coffee hut. When we moved into Alive House on Nelson Street that September, it was volunteers who put the indoor cafe together - assembling the furniture, kitting out the kitchen and getting the doors open. The people who built this place are the same people cooking your breakfast today.
Everything the cafe has earned since has gone into the community work at Alive House: emergency food for families in crisis, drop-in and wellbeing support, and youth work. You can read what that looked like last year in our 2025 community impact round-up.
We could fill this page with glowing quotes. We'd rather you came in and asked the team yourself: order a coffee, ask whoever makes it what volunteering here is actually like, and you'll get an honest answer - probably a long one.
No experience needed at all. Every volunteer gets full training on the job - from making coffee to cooking breakfasts - plus a buddy for your first shifts. Some of our best baristas had never touched an espresso machine before they joined.
As much or as little as you like. Most volunteers do one shift a week of a few hours, but we're genuinely flexible - the cafe is open Wednesday to Sunday and we'll work around your schedule. Even a couple of hours here and there makes a real difference.
Yes. Kitchen and food-handling volunteers are supported through recognised Level 2 Food Hygiene training and allergen awareness, baristas get full in-house coffee training, and regular volunteers can ask us for a reference for jobs, university or apprenticeships.
Not at all. Revive Cafe is run by Alive Church Norwich, but our volunteer team is open to absolutely everyone - students, retirees, career changers, people new to the city. All you need is a willingness to muck in.
Adults of all ages volunteer with us, from students to retirees. If you're under 18 and keen to get involved, get in touch and we'll chat through the options together.
No - Revive is 100% volunteer-run with no paid staff, which is exactly why 100% of our proceeds can go to charity. You do get free coffee on shift, free training, new skills, and a brilliant team around you.
Two minutes, no CV required. Tell us a bit about yourself and we'll invite you in for a coffee and a friendly taster shift.
We're a small volunteer team, so give us a few days to reply. Then it's simple:
Prefer humans to forms? Email office@alive.me.uk or just pop into Alive House, corner of Nelson Street & Arms Street, Norwich NR2 4DR.
The best way to see if Revive is for you is to visit. Grab a £2.55 coffee or a £6 full English, watch a shift in action, and see whether you can picture yourself behind the counter.