Thetford teenager’s coffee stencil creation a historic hit at town’s Thomas Paine Hotel

A Thetford hotelier has thanked the creativity of a 15-year-old boy after he created a coffee stencil in honour of the site’s namesake.

Gez Chetal, owner of The Thomas Paine Hotel in Whitehart Street, said his customers absolutely love Thetford Academy student Oliver Locke’s creation, putting the face of the world-famous revolutionary writer on their drinks.

The town’s most famous son Thomas Paine, whose work played a part in the American and French revolutions, was born in one of the three cottages that make up the hotel.

Gez said: “Ollie came to me about a year ago and said he had some good ideas for the hotel – one of those ideas being a coffee stencil of Thomas Paine.

“He had seen them in other places and said he could design one for us, so he went off, made it and it is brilliant.

“Everyone has said that this is just a wonderful thing to do and are amazed when we tell them that a 15-year-old has done this off his own back – it just shows the magic that happens when passion meets creativity.”