Long-standing charity of five decades has already had ‘rave reviews’ about new cafe in Northampton
A long-standing charity of more than five decades has already received “rave reviews” following the opening of their new cafe in Northampton last month.
Spectrum Northants is a day provision that offers support to adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health issues from their two premises in the town centre and Duston.
The team offers short and long-term placements, as well as school and college holiday cover, in which service users are treated with respect in a caring and supportive environment.
The charity first opened in the county in 1971 and Mark Mitchell, who has been the chief executive for the past three years, shared more on the exciting addition to Spectrum.
Both the Berrywood Road and William Street premises are open Monday to Friday, and host a range of activities for the adults who attend.
The Duston site is also home to a charity shop, which will celebrate its eighth anniversary this month. This was introduced at a time when the team saw value in offering retail training to service users, including serving on the till, sorting through donated items, and getting them ready to sell.
Now, the team has opened a cafe – situated alongside the charity shop and their day centre in Berrywood Road. This opened to the public on March 24.
The cafe has a social purpose, with the aim of building confidence, self-esteem and independence among the service users who work there.
A range of hot and cold drinks, cakes prepared at their William Street premises, paninis and sandwiches are now available, and the team look forward to welcoming more members of the community moving forward.
Talking to the Chronicle & Echo about the response since opening the cafe, Mark said: “It has been really superb and we’ve received a lot of compliments verbally and on social media.”
Visitors have praised the space as clean, light and fresh, and they have appreciated the value for money, quality coffee, homemade cakes and warm welcome from the team.
One lady said she would never normally go out for a coffee alone, but the “great vibes and feel” from the new venue encouraged her to.
“The cafe is going to make a big difference,” said Mark. “From day one, it has given adults with disabilities the opportunity to learn new skills – catering, serving customers, taking orders, preparing them and clearing tables. The purpose is to give the service users confidence.”
The charity CEO emphasised that visiting them – as well as other venues like Workbridge and The Place To Bee – is meaningful and helps them give back to the community.
It is important to the Spectrum team to continue immersing themselves not only in the Duston community, but across Northampton as a whole – and they hope the cafe will assist with this.