AN ONLINE fundraiser has been launched to help pay for repairs to Soraya’s Cocktails and Desserts bar following a huge water leak in the building.
Soraya McDonnell, who owns the popular venue on Holton Road, Barry, discovered the burst pipe on Friday morning, but she found out later in the day that her insurance policy would not cover the cost of fixing the damage.
Soraya’s friend Jamie Goddard has launched an online fundraiser, and she is encouraging people to give what they can afford to help reach the £1,000 target: “Soraya is a really, really lovely person, she goes above and beyond to help people.
“We had a stillborn baby last year and we needed somewhere to have the wake after his funeral. Soraya let us use her venue free-of-charge, and she allowed us to bring our own food.
“I wasn’t friends with her before, but through using her business, we’ve become very good pals and I’m keen to help in her hour of need,” she said.
Soraya, 36, has overcome many difficulties in her life. She was one of 11 children, but from the age of two she grew up in foster care but never stayed in the same home for more than two years. During her childhood, she attended 10 different schools in the Cardiff and Newport areas.
As a child, she was allowed to visit her birth mother for short periods. It was during one of those visits that tragedy struck when she found her little brother dead in her mother’s bed, and the cause was subsequently ruled to be a cot death. That was to be the last visit she was allowed as a child, and the sad experience led her to pursue a career in nursing.
During her early adulthood, Soraya got married and had three children, but when her marriage failed, she was made homeless and was forced to stay in hostels, and on occasions she had no choice but to sleep in her car.
Soraya went on to work as a night nursing manager at Willowbrook House. While Soraya felt a strong sense of vocation towards nursing, she had a long-held ambition of being her own boss, and in 2021 she opened her own cocktail bar, though she combined it with her nursing job for some time afterwards.
As a child in foster care, she watched A Cinderella Story, and the film made her decide that she wanted to finish her education in the USA. She vividly remembers being deeply disappointed when she was told this was not possible, but she set her heart on a move to the USA, where she hopes to open a business one day.
During the last five years, Soraya’s has become somewhere young people can treat as a safe space to come instead of causing problems on the high street, and last Christmas, she provided free dinners to homeless and lonely people.
Jamie says Soraya has become a pillar of the community. She said: “Soraya’s the one who opens up early so elderly neighbours can pick up their essentials before the rain. She slips an extra warm treat to the kid whose parents are working late. She stays late to help local groups hang posters, and she’s always the first to lend a hand whenever anyone in the area needs support.
“Soraya runs her business with just a small team, but day in, day out, she’s the first one there and the last to leave, doing the bulk of the work herself. And at the end of every long shift, she goes home to be a full-time single mum, pouring all her remaining love and energy into her children.
“These past few years have been unbelievably tough. Costs have soared, bills have piled up, and one challenge after another has come her way. But she never complains, never asks for anything, and still shows up every single day with that same warm smile, ready to help anyone who needs her.
“Soraya needs our help at the moment. I’m well aware that times are hard with the cost of living, but I ask that people give whatever they can afford to help Soraya get back on her feet following this setback.”
To donate to the fundraiser, please visit: tinyurl.com/Sorayasbar
By Marcus Stead – News Reporter
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