Goal to expand indoor space and renovate the kitchen
A café which provides vital paid work opportunities for adults with learning disabilities is launching a £20,000 crowdfunding campaign to expand its indoor space and renovate the kitchen.
The scheme helps clients from Garland Support and is designed to enable them to learn new skills – and interact with customers. As a social enterprise, any profits go back into the community.
The Birdhouse Café in Exeter’s Pinces Gardens is launching the Crowdfunder to ensure this popular community hub can thrive all year round.
Currently, the indoor space is limited to two small rooms. By knocking down a dividing wall, the café can create more customer seating as well as additional capacity for community groups to run events after 2 p.m., when the café closes.
Cakes at The Birdhouse Café in Exeter’s Pinces Gardens. Image: Jordan Killiard
‘Over the summer our outside seating has been buzzing, but the onset of the rain and colder weather really limits how many customers we have,’ says Kelly Sharp, café manager.
‘Expanding indoors will really make a big difference and provide even more working opportunities for our team.’
The plans for the kitchen renovation are designed to provide more room and a better layout to help the team undertake tasks. Organisers say it’ll help in the development of new which’ll be useful for future employment prospects.
‘The Birdhouse means a lot to me personally. Watching the team enjoy working here, becoming more confident and bringing joy to our customers is such a wonderful experience.’
‘Over the summer our outside seating has been buzzing,’ says Kelly Sharp, café manager. Image: Jordan Killiard.
‘A safe, supportive space to work’
Since Kelly took over last year, the café has become a real hub for the community, hosting a wide variety of events.
These have included yoga for children, breastfeeding support, sewing workshops, creative writing sessions, pop up shops alongside the sale of books and plants.
‘We set up The Birdhouse primarily to give adults with learning disabilities a safe, supportive space to work,’ explains Paul Sharp from Garland Support, who is also a co-founder of The Birdhouse.
‘But alongside that, it’s become a destination in its own right, known for great coffee, delicious snacks and a warm welcome.’
‘Raising these funds means we can offer more jobs to those on the waiting list. With the community behind us, I know we can reach our target – fingers crossed, work on the seating area will start in mid-October.’
The crowdfunder is supported by the Aviva Community Fund, so every donation of less than £250 will be automatically doubled. A variety of rewards are available depending on the donation amount.
A separate fundraising event is taking place on September 28, when part of Pinces’ Gardens will be transformed into a traditional village-style fete, with stalls, games, dog show, tombola and much more.
Breaktime News has previously reported on a crowdfunding goal for the provision of a positive future for a key Plymouth landmark.
