Tea rooms offer work experience for people with learning difficulties

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Tea rooms offer work experience for people with learning difficulties

Wednesday, 28 July 2010 05:14 |

Keith Hitchens: “I serve customers, wipe the tables, and make drinks sometimes”

A charity that helps people with learning difficulties is offering the chance of work experience at a Surrey museum.

HFT, which re-opened the tea rooms at the Honey Heritage Museum at Carshalton Ponds, Sutton, in May, runs the refreshment area with a five-strong team of volunteers. It is looking for more people with learning difficulties in the area to work a shift or two, to get used to being in a work environment.

Sue Powell, HFT development manager, said: “The tea rooms at the museum are in a lovely setting and we felt this would be an ideal location where people would enjoy the opportunity to come and work shifts to gain some work experience. This gives people with learning disabilities a real chance to work in the community and we’re hoping to eventually achieve social firm status when people will be able to receive a salary for the work they do.”

The charity, which runs a community support service for people with learning disabilities in the area, has appointed a senior support worker with catering experience to run and manage the tea rooms. Keith Hitchens, who has been volunteering at the tea rooms for the past three months, said: “I serve customers, wipe the tables, and make drinks sometimes. My favourite bit is working with other people and cleaning.”
The charity said the tea rooms were thriving, with excellent feedback from customers and the museum and library services.

People interested in gaining work experience do not need to have previous involvement with HFT, and can work any combination of shifts they wish, from one hour a week to the full opening hours. The tea rooms are open during museum hours from 11am to 5pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Tea, coffee, cold drinks and a selection of snacks and sandwiches are on offer. Sue added: “This is an opportunity not only for people supported by HFT but for any service provider or individual with learning disabilities in the surrounding boroughs who is interested in gaining work experience.”

HFT is a national charity providing local support for people with learning disabilities and their families in creative, resourceful ways so individuals can live the lives they want. It works with more than 1,000 people with learning disabilities across the UK and with more than 4,000 family carers through its Family Carer Support Service. For more information go to www.hft.org.uk.

By Natalie Bowen, Community Newswire