Member Article

Greggs do it again!

Local Firm Greggs supports new Learning Cafe

Everyone in the North East knows Greggs as the famous local bakery shop situated on every high street but do they know how much work they do to support local worthy causes? The latest charitable donation has come in the form of support in setting up a new Learning Café for disabled people from across the region which is officially opening today.

The Learning Café project was an idea first put forward by some of the service users who regularly attend The Percy Hedley Foundation Able 2 adult day services located in Forest Hall, Newcastle.

Marie Watts - Day Services Manager explains “The aim of the café is to have a trendy, fun place to dine, where service users can be supported to develop everyday skills some of us take for granted and these skills can then be transferred into real life situations. This includes monetary skills, communication, literacy and numerical skills.”

Marie continued “Customers will, in part, be users of the service, staff, visiting families and professionals, apprentices and individuals on work placement. The café will support community events to promote the charity and increase the customer base. The menu will be simple, quick and affordable”

The café will have space for a ‘chill out’ area, dining area and access to specially adapted cyber IT stations, it will also have a more practical side in that is offering work experience placements to the Foundation’s specialist college students and is also offering a special catering apprenticeship.

Chief Executive Carole Harder said “The proposal has been in development for some time and it was agreed that this was something that service users and staff would welcome. I am proud to officially open the project today as this gives me an opportunity to formally thank all those people who have supported us, especially Greggs for their ongoing support which we really appreciate.”

Gregg’s have taken an interest in supporting the café facility following a visit made to the Percy Hedley Foundation by Gregg’s Chief Executive, Ken McMeikan in 2010. Greggs supported development of the café plans and menu planning and also helped to attract additional support from their own business partners such as Philips, Morris’s Furniture, 3663, Brake, East Anglican Installation Services, and Marston Metal.

The official opening takes place on Tuesday 7th August at 10.30am at Able 2 Day Centre, Station Road Forest Hall.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Julie Calvert .