Millom charity gets £10,000 grant to create pop-up cafe

Simon Donnelly created Willow of Millom with the intention of helping people with disabilities find a range of work, from employment to volunteering.

The heart of the endeavour is to create a cafe in the area to act as a hub for the people they are looking to assist.

On Thursday, September 19, Simon announced that they were now positioned to bring a pop-up cafe to life following the grant from Cumberland Council, along with UKSPF funding and support from Social Enterprise Cumbria.

Simon created the charity to produce more opportunities for people like his daughter (Image: Submitted)

He said: "The weekly pop-up cafe would be a small, scaled-down version of what we want to achieve which is to have a coffee shop in town were we can train people with all kinds of disabilities how to work in a live, working coffee shop environment.

"We are very excited at this opportunity to create a business that has put children's futures in mind."

Read more: Millom charity says 'real work' starts after official status | The Mail (nwemail.co.uk)

The initial pop-up version of the cafe is designed to show 'proof of concept', highlighting how a more permanent business would operate.

Simon originally came up with the idea after realising that work options for children like his daughter Willow - who has Down Syndrome - are 'very limited' both nationwide and in the local area.

"The hope is, with these tools and the connections we will make along the way, we will be in the position that employers will come to us to help fill their company's service rolls," he said.

"Or have the foundation to apply for paid employment with the confidence and certificates they have gained with us."

The weekly business will help people gain a selection of professional certificates, as well as teaching them a range of skills, including how to wait tables, how to operate different payment systems, and the importance of timekeeping.