Poppy’s Pantry, a Realise Futures Social Business based in Wymondham, relaunched its refill and coffee shop on Monday the 5th of August. The atmosphere was as buzzing as the customers were plentiful: in attendance were photographers from Visit Wymondham, representatives from the Norfolk County Council, and the Mayor of Wymondham.

The business has relaunched after a downsizing of the shop and an expansion of the café area. You are greeted upon entry by an eminently welcoming staff, beautiful flowers outside, and many shelves of goodies along the back wall of the café, including porridge oats, honey, biscuits, vegan cake, handwash, and a Nature’s Soap collection, among other products.

The Pantry, headed by RF works manager Clare Stiles, hires staff with disabilities or learning difficulties. The Wellbeing Colleagues, as Clare terms them, work front-of-house and in the kitchen, and are given individual person-centred support specific to their needs and goals. After eight months to two years of work experience, further doors are opened for them, with the final stage being the individual’s integration into the world of work, armed with the skills and confidence they have earned from the Pantry.

Clare Stiles told the magazine, “It’s a demanding job for our Wellbeing Colleagues. They are on their feet a lot of the time. But it gives them so much more confidence.” I was served by one Colleague, Harry, who Clare said has made leaps and bounds since joining the Pantry. Beforehand with little to no confidence, he is now a capable front-of-house server. (He rather charmingly approached me of his own volition and said, “want some free pizza before you go?”)

Waitrose has given the café a £1000 grant with which they have bought a new coffee machine. “You would not believe how much more helpful it is,” Clare said. “It is so much more accessible to the Wellbeing Colleagues (and makes better coffee!). We are extremely grateful.”

The Pantry prides itself on giving people skills and experience they otherwise would never have had. These skills can be life-enhancing: they help the Colleagues integrate themselves into the world in ways they would have never been able to do otherwise. As Clare said, “Just because someone has learning difficulties, it does not make them any less human.”

And judging by our experience at the Pantry during this relaunch, Wymondham can consider itself very lucky to have it.