In September, our social enterprise café, Paper & Cup celebrated its 1st birthday.
Here are just some of its achievements over the last 365 days:
- 16 people in recovery from drug or alcohol addiction trained as baristas.
- more than half of Paper & Cup’s former trainees, now have jobs or are in further training.
- Paper & Cup’s first year sales included over: 3,500 cupcakes, 2,500 books and 6,000 cups of tea.
To help celebrate on the day, the Pearly Queen of the City of London cut the birthday cake while local customers and business sponsors joined staff and trainees to eat cake and drink coffee.
As one trainee put it:
“On my first day I was very nervous, excited and unsure. Now though, I love talking to the customers, the interaction and making them laugh. Also working here has helped the way I see myself. When you’re working here you have to look presentable, you have to look good. When you’re taking drugs no one cares how you look. When you’re in addiction you can’t believe you can get back to normality. But now, I’m here at Paper & Cup, I’m doing normal stuff! ”
Gary, Paper & Cup trainee.
Here’s to the next year!
Read more about YourTime, one of our other social enterprises
