MediaCityUK, located in Salford Quays, Manchester, is a creative media hub filled with innovative technology and digital creativity. It’s also home to the parts of the BBC and ITV, broadcasting some of our favourite shows including Coronation Street, The Voice and Jeremy Kyle… who doesn’t love a bit of Jezza?

From culture lovers to shopaholics there’s more than enough to keep everyone entertained, but there’s something new hitting this waterfront destination providing people with a new way to explore this one of a kind media hot spot.

A bike themed Artisan coffee house can now be found in the centre of all of the action, inside none other than a shipping container, with a cycle hub attached. That’s right, Carla Tomlinson, the owner of Penelope’s Kitchen in Media City, which launched just a year ago, has taken to her latest business adventure in the hope to impress a more niche market.

From transforming an old greasy spoon on the outskirts of MCUK into a New York inspired kitchen, it’s no news to us that Carla has tons of creativity.

Her latest venture however, is a retro themed shipping container which has been converted into a cosy hangout for all different walks of life, giving them the chance to try something different.

“I just did market research really, I asked the people in Media City what they wanted and they either Facebooked or tweeted in saying I’d love an artisan coffee house or milkshakes or hot chocolates and all of these things I just put them all together to create… THIS!”

The coffee house is also host to bike meet ups which take place once a month, allowing bike enthusiasts to come together over a wide selection of teas and free pastries… who could refuse that?

These meetings also inform bikers of new cycle routes, changes to roads and traffic and sessions on getting started on cycling. Dave Trainor from RevolveMCR, a mobile bike repair company, has been working closely alongside Carla, offering bike repairs, checks and even bike riding lessons! This will be the first in a long line up of bike services offered, with bike hire being their main priority for the summer months.

The two have started off small with their business adventure, only providing a handful of bikes as the winter months draw in. The plans to extend the cycle hub and get more people involved in keeping fit and having fun will begin early next year; queue all the New Year Resolutions to be healthier and lose weight! For the meantime, Carla is focusing on her personal life, before she renovates Penelope’s Kitchen due to its incredible success.

Penelope’s has also catered for many of the cast and crew of different companies in MCUK, with the latest cast being from Dragons Den, which they served for a whole three months during filming.

Carla can still not believe the amount of support she has received, saying: “It still shocks me now how busy it gets, it’s miles away and I do get genuinely thrilled that people go in there for lunch and pass other places and walk right out their way. I just want to hug them!”