I was a Hollywood stunt double but gave it up to follow a more humble dream

A mates person swapped glamorous careers connected surface to tally a cosy java shop. Jill Penfold is simply a Los Angeles-trained histrion who has appeared arsenic a assemblage treble for galore of Hollywood’s apical starring ladies, portion Justin Lord is simply a decorated erstwhile Royal Marine who had a two-year stint arsenic a wellness and occurrence manager connected ITV’s This Morning.

But present the mates person changed gears entirely, opening Millfields Coffee and Food cafe successful a erstwhile gardener’s storeroom successful the grounds of a erstwhile hospital.

The brace opened the concern wrong the grounds of the erstwhile Royal Navy Hospital successful Stonehouse, Plymouth, past month - and concern has been booming.

“We person taken it implicit and opened thing classy,” said Justin. “We opened connected January 6 and revamped it portion it was trading. That opened our eyes to what was needed, truthful we wholly gutted the full inside.”

Jill is simply a trained and award-winning histrion who worked successful Shakespearean and Jacobean theatre, earlier heading to Los Angeles with a assistance to survey astatine the celebrated Lee Strasberg TV and Film School. Becoming a trained stunt performer specialising successful handguns and battle weapons, she has doubled for galore of Hollywood’s apical starring ladies.

When Covid deed successful 2020 and the satellite crushed to a halt, Jill near sunny California for the UK - wherever she met Justin.

He said: “She flew backmost with her dog, and lived with her parents, expecting to determination backmost - but met maine and stayed.”

Justin is simply a erstwhile Royal Marine, who winning the coveted King’s Badge arsenic champion enlistee aft joining up aged 17. He near the forces aft 12 years, during which helium saw progressive work successful Iraq, and became a fittingness expert, starring to a vocation arsenic a TV fittingness expert. Appearing arsenic a wellness and occurrence manager connected ITV’s This Morning for 2 years, helium besides appeared connected Channel 5’s Live with Gabby and connected the Discovery Channel, arsenic good arsenic successful newspapers and magazines including The Daily Mirror. He’s besides took portion successful a 1,000-mile, marathon-a-day tally from Launceston to Edinburgh for Make-A-Wish UK.

But they present run from a tiny four-square-metre hut which was built successful the precocious 1800s and was utilized to store gardening instrumentality astatine the Grade II-listed hospital, which opened successful 1762. It had been utilized by businesses before, including arsenic a cafe, aft the infirmary closed successful 1995 and was turned into homes and concern units.

“Over 1 play we revamped it again. We stripped it back. It’s got a chimney bosom and a fireplace. We near the predisposition of everything but it needed changing, truthful we worked connected the plumbing, electrics and carpentry,” said Justin.

“It’s astir a practice preserved and a assemblage revitalised, blending the site’s fascinating past with modern-day convenience.

“It’s a vibrant hub serving caller barista coffee, handmade meals, and convenience essentials to residents, businesses, and visitors.

“We wanted to commencement by making ourselves known to the assemblage wrong the Millfields walls, but present are opening to propulsion out, unfastened the layers of the onion, enactment from a cardinal halfway and expand.”

The caller cafe has abstraction for betwixt 5 and 100 guests, and tin big meetings and events.

Offerings see freshly brewed barista java made from Bristol-roasted beans, speciality teas, and nutrient including overgarment potatoes, baguettes, and salads.

The mates besides tally java shops successful leisure centres successful Ivybridge, Tavistock and Frome.

“We are rather experienced,” said Justin.

And they person large plans. “We’ll commencement doing events successful the summer,” said Justin. “We privation to springiness businesses the accidental to person stalls successful the car park, extracurricular the cafe. Then tiny businesses tin beforehand themselves.”

Jill said: “We’re arrogant to respire caller beingness into this peculiar space. The Millfields is simply a singular site, and we’re honoured to proceed its communicative by creating a abstraction wherever radical tin gather, bask large nutrient and drink, and connect.”

Justin is simply a erstwhile Royal Marine, who winning the coveted King’s Badge arsenic champion enlistee aft joining up aged 17. He near the forces aft 12 years, during which helium saw progressive work successful Iraq, and became a fittingness expert, starring to a vocation arsenic a TV fittingness expert. Appearing arsenic a wellness and occurrence manager connected ITV’s This Morning for 2 years, helium besides appeared connected Channel 5’s Live with Gabby and connected the Discovery Channel, arsenic good arsenic successful newspapers and magazines including The Daily Mirror. He’s besides took portion successful a 1,000-mile, marathon-a-day tally from Launceston to Edinburgh for Make-A-Wish UK.

The caller cafe has abstraction for betwixt 5 and 100 guests, and tin big meetings and events.

Offerings see freshly brewed barista java made from Bristol-roasted beans, speciality teas, and nutrient including overgarment potatoes, baguettes, and salads.

The mates besides tally java shops successful leisure centres successful Ivybridge, Tavistock and Frome.

“We are rather experienced,” said Justin.

And they person large plans. “We’ll commencement doing events successful the summer,” said Justin. “We privation to springiness businesses the accidental to person stalls successful the car park, extracurricular the cafe. Then tiny businesses tin beforehand themselves.”

Jill said: “We’re arrogant to respire caller beingness into this peculiar space. The Millfields is simply a singular site, and we’re honoured to proceed its communicative by creating a abstraction wherever radical tin gather, bask large nutrient and drink, and connect.”