Great British Bake Off presenter Prue Leith has praised a new bakery that supports adults with learning disabilities in finding work. The bakery, called Life-Changing Bakery and run by the Oxfordshire charity Yellow Submarine, was officially opened by Dame Prue during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday evening.
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Located on the edge of Witney, the bakery will supply two existing cafés—one in the town and another in central Oxford—both of which are staffed by trainees. These cafés give participants the chance to develop catering skills, earn qualifications, and take gradual steps toward employment.
At the event, Dame Prue said she felt emotional, explaining,
I feel quite emotional about this, because running a charity is hell – it’s really difficult. So to make a success of it as you have over the years is astonishing and wonderful.
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Trainee Jack Howard, who recently completed his first year with the charity, shared his own experience:
It’s going really well. It makes a huge difference because when I was first a trainee I would never talk to strangers, but now I’ve got used to it I’m more confident about doing that kind of stuff.
Yellow Submarine launched its first café in 2013 with the goal of increasing the number of adults with learning disabilities in paid work. Currently, the charity points out, that figure stands at just 5%.
In addition to running cafés, it also organizes day trips and life skills workshops, and in 2022 it was named High Street Shop of the Year at the Independent Awards.
Dame Prue praised the wider impact of the initiative, saying,
It’s not just about learning to get a job, though they do that brilliantly. But on the way they learn to make friends, they get confidence, and everybody’s having a good time. You can tell by talking to the trainees that they love it here.
Source: BBC