An Angel in the Park
"You just realise that this man, he's just like a little angel, like God's angel really. He's so kind,"says Mandy Scott Johnson.
Such praise is uncommon for a coffee vendor in a park, yet customers of Thirst for All, a coffee stand located in Crane Park, Twickenham, west London, describe its owner, Diaco Yari, as a beacon in their community.
Diaco, who emigrated from Iran to the UK nine years ago, shares a mutual affection for his customers. He was deeply moved when they organized a Crowdfunder to support him after he was assaulted and robbed of his takings a few weeks prior.
The attack occurred on Diaco's birthday in February and resulted in a broken tooth.
His customers, including one who credits Diaco with saving his life, were appalled by the incident and raised £3,000 to reimburse his lost earnings and assist with installing security measures.
Mandy, accompanied by her curly grey-haired dog Walter, often sits beside the cafe caravan enjoying coffee.
She was instrumental in setting up the Crowdfunder to aid Diaco.
"He can now see his value and his worth and I think that's so important to a human being,"she said.
"I just wish him so well because he is so important to us all you know, especially Walter!"
A New Family
For Diaco, the local community has become a surrogate family.
Back in Iran, he reports that his cousin is recovering after being shot during recent demonstrations. His contact with family has been sporadic for months amid ongoing uncertainty and fear following US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
In Iran, Diaco worked in television, producing content critical of the regime.
He described his work as being "a voice for the people who want to have their freedom."
However, nine years ago, he left that life and his family behind.
Now, he regards his customers in Crane Park as family, even referring to one as "Dad."
Peter Lund and his late wife Andrea informally "adopted" Diaco after growing close to him.
"My wife used to come here, she had a mobility scooter because she was very disabled and was quite ill,"Peter explained, holding back tears.
"She adopted Diaco as a son because his family were in Iran, she called him a son, so he started calling me Dad. I just met so many people here since, the dog walkers are all brilliant."
After Andrea passed away in September, Diaco helped carry her coffin at her funeral as a gesture of gratitude to the community and to Andrea, who had supported him greatly.
"You know [the customers] give me that confidence to be strong,"Diaco said.
"They tell me: 'It's going to be OK - good things can happen - it just maybe takes a little bit time.'"
"Everyone is talking to me you know, when I'm sad, they are coming and giving me a hug."
Brian Theobold considers Diaco a lifesaver.
While walking his dog Ethel near the river, she unexpectedly fell in. Brian jumped in after her in panic.
"Well Ethel only has one eye,"Brian explained.
"I saw her on the edge of the bank, she put her foot down and disappeared in the water. I jumped in after her. Then Diaco stripped down to his underpants, jumped in, got his arms around my legs and pushed me up and two blokes pulled me out."
Brian still finds it remarkable that a barista would perform such a rescue.
"He is a fantastic guy. He does everything for you,"Brian said.
Community Support and Future Uncertainty
Despite the strong bond between Diaco and the community, his future remains uncertain due to a change in land ownership that may affect his ability to operate the cafe caravan.
"If we lost this caravan for any reason I'd be absolutely devastated,"Peter said.
"We cannot lose him. Everybody is worried about it. You know you just come here, you have a chat with him, he talks about his family you can talk to him about anything. And he brings everybody together."
The customers of Thirst for All have pledged to unite again to support Diaco if necessary.
For Diaco, the community's support means everything, describing this part of west London as "a little bit of heaven."
"It's lovely, it's community, yes, it's love, really it's love."
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk
