A group of artists bidding to open a non-profit coffee shop on Manchester’s King Street have smashed their fundraising target - with days to spare.

The Future Artists Co-operative group, based at the Sharp Project, want to open a cafe and working space in a currently empty shop as part a bid to revitalise the shopping street, which currently has eight empty units.

The group had already raised £15,000 themselves and were seeking the final £5,000 through donations via website Kickstarter.

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As news of the project spread, donations flooded in, with the group currently £145 over target. Some donations were even given through the online currency Doge Coins - and customers will be able to pay for coffee this way too when the shop opens.

Members of Future Artists now hope to have the Honest Coffee shop up and running by July - with profits passed on to local community groups and sports teams. As well as selling artisan coffee and cakes, artists, designers and entrepreneurs will also be able to pay for time on the workspace at the shop.

Mark Ashmore, 33, one of the organisers, said: “My phone started buzzing last night as we reached the target and people were messaging me, it was fantastic.

“We now have 140 backers so its a celebration for them as well as us.

“Around £800 of the money came from people clicking through from the first MEN story so the help from the paper has been massive and we couldn’t have done without it.

"We’ve also had donations of Doge Coins thanks to a Manchester-based tech company Pixel Kicks and then all of Manchester’s Doge Coin community got involved.

"It's great because they are the kind of people who are likely to be using the cafe. We will be accepting Doge Coin and other online currency like Bitcoin.”

Actress Victoria Connett, 30, from Salford, who is also a member of Future Artists, said: “A space like this could help people network and build their careers. “And the profits would be given back to the community - not someone at the top.”

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