Northampton cafe offering vital experiences to young adults with special educational needs looking to future after one year open

A Northampton cafe, which offers vital experiences to young adults with special educational needs (SEN), is looking to the future after being open for more than a year.

The Place To Bee, located in Kingsthorpe, is an inclusive cafe and old-fashioned sweetshop, which is part of Northgate School Arts College and The Beehive.

Students are given the opportunity to learn skills in a small business environment, which stands them in good stead for voluntary and paid work in the future.

Trudi Daurie, who runs the initiative, said: “The past year has been a learning curve, and students have really embraced working for a smaller cafe than our sister site, The Beehive.

“We want them to gain lifelong skills, which will encourage them to be confident when looking for future positions – as disability employment is low.”

The skills they have developed include barista experience, planning a menu, and preparing food.

As a result of everyone’s hard work, The Place To Bee has been nominated for a Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink award, for cafe of the year.

“We look at how independent the students have become and think ‘wow’,” said Trudi.

Unfortunately, with the current economic climate, they have experienced less footfall along Kingsthorpe front – and the more people who know about the work they do and want to embrace it, the better.

Looking to the future and how they can enhance the experience, Trudi and her team are introducing qualifications the students can gain from September.

Although they already offer food hygiene, they will now be expanding to the AQA unit award, which is broken down into a variety of skills – including hospitality, working with money, food preparation, and customer service.

Trudi said: “The more information and confidence they have in their knowledge, the more opportunities they will be presented with.”

The Place To Bee is also part of the Too Good to Go scheme, where any food waste is sold online for a cheaper price.

Packages contain £10 worth of food, but are sold for £3.99 – and Trudi says not only does it help the planet, but it helps the students understand the benefits of reducing food waste.

Its food will also be available to order on Just Eat over the next few weeks, which is a new venture.

The retro sweet shop, which is also run by students, is always looking for businesses to stock their products.

They are all prepared, packaged and delivered by the students, which allows them to understand the importance of health and safety, and allergens.

The boxes are dropped off and replenished by The Place To Bee when needed.

Trudi said: “We want people from the Northampton community to embrace what we do, especially those nearby in Kingsthorpe.

“Our students need to understand the value of working as part of a team and a wider community.”

All money spent at The Place To Bee goes back into the business, as it is a charity.

The Place To Bee offers external places to anyone with special educational needs over the age of 19 and to find out more, you can contact Trudi Daurie on [email protected].