Cafe team at day centre go public

Oct 23 2007 by Iain Laing, The Journal

ENTERPRISING visitors to a day centre have found fresh confidence as entrepreneurs after opening their cafe to the public.

The coffee shop in Sunderland’s historic Barnes Park has been opened by a group from the Fulwell Day Centre for adults with learning disabilities, who had run a diner in the centre for four years.

The Coachhouse, which has just opened its doors for business, is a much-needed boost to the park and is run as an employee-owned social enterprise.

Workers at the day centre secured £30,000 funding from the council and then enlisted the help and expertise of city-based SES, which for the past 24 years has specialised in promoting, developing and supporting social enterprises and self-employment.

Day manager at Fulwell Day Centre, John Grabham, said: “The day centre is for adults with learning disabilities, and offers a wide range of activities. Our aim with the cafe was to transfer skills to qualifications so that they can get out and use those skills in the real world.

“In the cafe, there are 12 people working on a rota basis with a member of staff there supporting them, performing the full range of tasks from cooking and preparing the food to serving it and running the business.

“We liked the idea of the cafe being a social enterprise so that the day centre users would actually own it and really work to make sure it’s a success – it’s a very good incentive for them.”

SES director Mark Heskett-Saddington said: “We were called on to help with putting together a blueprint for running the cafe as a social enterprise, where the workers actually run and own the business.

“This is an innovative project that helps people access real and meaningful employment while being part of an exciting venture that gives families and park visitors an excellent facility to enjoy.”

Mr Grabham added: “The response from the public so far has been fantastic and the experience has really had an effect on the people working there. They’ve gone from being nervous and uptight to totally relaxed, running the cafe and talking to the customers – their confidence has grown enormously.

“At the end of the day, you can’t teach people that – that is something that has to come from within and with the cafe, everyone is a winner as it is also providing a welcome feature for the public.”

The cafe is open seven days a week and all year round, although that will be reviewed in response to customer demand.