The Garden Kitchen cafe in Newton Aycliffe reopens

The Garden Kitchen at the Pioneering Care Centre (PCC) in Newton Aycliffe welcomed back customers on Monday (August 3).

It will offer a changing menu of homemade food and coffee, and is promising affordable prices.

The café also hopes to support people with disabilities and health conditions to get hands-on experience in catering, customer service and hospitality.

Jenny, the Marketing and Communications Manager at the centre, said: “It’s been really busy in the café, I’ve recognised some faces, but I’ve also seen some new faces which is nice.

“All the prices, they’ve been designed to be quite affordable, so we’re hoping it’ll bring people in.

“The response has been really positive.

“We’ve had a lot of comments about how good the prices are and you can’t go wrong with a home-cooked meal.”

Carol Gaskarth, chief executive of the Pioneering Care Partnership (PCP) , said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Hiyed CIC to relaunch the Garden Kitchen.

“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to building stronger, more inclusive communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

“The Garden Kitchen will provide a high-quality, welcoming service for customers while creating valuable supported employment, work experience and skills development opportunities for people with disabilities and health conditions.

(Image: PIONEERING CARE PARTNERSHIP)

“By offering real-world experience in a supportive environment, we can help individuals build confidence, develop skills for work and progress towards sustainable employment.”

Hiyed CIC is a social enterprise dedicated to supporting people who are neurodivergent, have learning disabilities or face other barriers to employment.

It offers supported internships, volunteering placements and work-based learning to help individuals gain practical experience.

Tracy Fee, director and founder of Hiyed CIC, said: “The partnership with PCP is so important because both organisations share the same values of improving people’s lives, promoting wellbeing and supporting the local community.

(Image: PIONEERING CARE PARTNERSHIP)

“By working together, we can provide real work experience, supported internships, volunteering opportunities and clear pathways into paid employment within the hospitality sector.

“Every purchase made at the Garden Kitchen will help support training and employment opportunities for local people, creating a positive impact on the wider community.”

The Garden Kitchen is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 3pm, and Saturdays from 9am to 1.30pm at the Pioneering Care Centre, Carer’s Way, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, DL5 4SF.

Menus can be found at pcp.uk.net/garden-kitchen.