New coffee shop breaks down barriers to employment
Paralympic Gold medallist Mark Colbourne MBE joined staff from disability charity Leonard Cheshire to unveil ‘Social Bean’: a coffee shop with a difference.
This is a social enterprise in the heart of Swansea, supporting the community and making people feel welcomed with friendly chat and support.
Glyn Meredith, director of operations for Wales
The pioneering outlet, located in Swansea, is Leonard Cheshire’s first social enterprise. It is run by — and caters for — both disabled and non-disabled people from the community. The shop is among the first to be designed with accessibility in mind from the outset.
Staff at the coffee shop are joined by volunteers and people undertaking work placements to gain employment skills and experience.
Not only does the Social Bean serve quality coffee in the form of Leonard Cheshire’s own blend, but it also provides meeting rooms for local businesses to hire, a changing places toilet facility, a Go Digital IT suite and VR headsets.
Mark Colbourne stressed the importance of realising potential in a speech before cutting the ribbon to the Social Bean.
Mark, who won Gold in 2012 for cycling, said:
‘From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Life is about ability, not disability. This incredible environment can change lives.’
Glyn Meredith, director of operations for Wales at Leonard Cheshire, said:
‘Social Bean is about enabling people to live, learn and work.
‘This is a social enterprise in the heart of Swansea, supporting the community and making people feel welcomed with friendly chat and support.
‘It’s been a journey in terms of opening this wonderful coffee shop, and a lot of hard work, grit and determination has gone on behind the scenes.’
Media enquiries
For further information, interview requests and case studies, please contact: Sam Buckley on samuel.buckley@leonardcheshire.org or 020 3242 0204. Out of hours contact: 07903 949 388.
