A coffee shop with a difference is being opened in Mountsorrel.
Breward’s is being launched by Mountsorrel-based Homefield College, in the former home of The Sorrel Youth Cafe, at 2, The Green.
The Sorrel, which provided a place for young people to socialise, closed for good earlier this year.
Now, the unit has been taken over by the college, which plans to continue to run it as a community cafe, albeit with a new name and a new offering.
As well as edible goods, Breward’s will sell a range of craft products, woodwork, artwork and cards made by students and residents at the specialist college, which provides education, care and support to people with learning disabilities.
It is not the first such venue to be opened by the college. It also runs a cafe and sweet shop, Barrow of Treats, in Barrow-upon-Soar, and ran internet cafe Sip and Surf in Loughborough for 10 years, until it closed recently.
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Homefield College principal Tracey Forman said: “We believe that our students achieve through experience, which is why we run our own enterprises.
“People with learning disabilities often struggle to gain meaningful employment, so we use our enterprises to help equip our students with the knowledge, experience and transferable skills needed to secure external work placements and future employment.
“When we first heard that Sorrel Youth Cafe’s future was uncertain, we reached out to see if we could help. Community is so important to our ethos, and despite only moving our main site to Mountsorrel in 2019, we already knew of the importance the Sorrel Youth Cafe held to the village.
“We are delighted to be able to save the cafe and to be working with the current coordinator, Nicci Ilett, to continue to operate as a community cafe. We very much want to keep it as a hub for groups within Mountsorrel. We are also exploring the idea of an bakery with goods made in our students’ catering sessions.”
Breward’s is due to open for takeaway from the end of October, with an eat-in service by the end of the year, Covid-allowing.
Initially it will be open from Monday to Friday, but there are plans to also open on Saturdays in the future.
