Inside the Harehills cafe where people with learning disabilities are trained to get into the food industry in Leeds

Cafe Leep, on Roundhay Road, is a community cafe that offers disabled people an NVQ Level 2 in food safety. The YEP understands that it is currently the only cafe in Leeds to do so.

From food prepping and customer service to checking the temperature of the fridges and replacing stock, the trainees do it all. Angie Marshall, manager at Cafe Leep, said: “They run the cafe, we just support them.”

Trainees spend 18 to 24 months working one shift a week at the cafe. After closing up, the trainees get stuck in with presentations and kahoot quizzes for their exam – with all learning material made by the cafe.

Olivia Thornton, 21, who joined the programme in August 2021, said: “When I first started, I was not as confident as I am now. If I can do it, everyone can do it – if they put their mind to it.”

"There is already a stigma around people with learning disabilities. I feel like there’s a cross on the birth certificate,” said Angie, who finds that people can often wrongly think that those with disabilities are incapable of work, among many other things.

“They are capable of living on their own, they want to have a job the same as you and me and contribute to society.”

The trainees require some support and patience when they’re first running the cafe, which can come in a number of different forms including adapting the menu on the till, but the supervisors “don’t take it easy on them”, said Angie.

“We are a working business, we can’t take it easy.”

The cafe hopes to give the trainees both the skills and the practical knowledge of working in hospitality and since operations began in 2015, the cafe has supported more than 60 people to pass their NVQ in food safety.

Many success stories have followed as trainees move onto paid roles in the food industry. It took the cafe 18 months to convince one trainee called Colleen to join but she has now secured a role as a food and beverage assistant in Hilton Hotel in the city centre.

Colleen often visits the cafe with the money she has earned, happy that she has her own wage and disposable income, Angie said. “They sing,” said added. “We allow them to sing. They are the stars of the show. They want people to see their abilities before their disabilities.”

There is a growing demand for the service and the number of trainees running the cafe will be doubling from April, from four to eight. Angie is urging other cafes and food establishments to get involved to help grow the number of disabled people in the workforce and provide them with greater independence. Materials for study can be provided by Cafe Leep.

The cafe is open on weekdays from 9am to 3pm and serves both hot and cold food with vegetarian, vegan and gluten options available and also offers catering.