By Karen Evans

Last updated at 11:00, Saturday, 21 July 2012

A new cafe in Workington’s Community Hospital which offers paid employment to people with learning difficulties was officially opened yesterday.

Working together: Cafe West’s catering team at Workington Community Hospital

Cafe West, run by West House in partnership with the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, opened at the beginning of April and has given 16-hour contracts to two youngsters with learning difficulties.

The cafe, which is based at the front of the Park Lane hospital, also employs a full-time chef, one apprentice and offers five students work placements.

It was officially opened by Sir Tony Cunningham, MP for Workington, in front of Dr John Howarth and Michael Hutt, directors of Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Also at the event was James Cox, director of West House, hospital matron Maureen Goldwater, general manager Barbara Southwell and Emma Russell, locality manager for Allerdale.

Mr Cox said: “We opened our first cafe in Whitehaven three years ago. We’re proud of all the work that has gone into opening our new cafe in Workington.

“It reflects our whole process of helping people with learning difficulties reach that next step and getting them into paid work.

Adam Farrer, 26, of Gulley Flats, Egremont, who has epilepsy and learning difficulties, has been employed as a kitchen assistant.

He said: “It has been a great opportunity for me. I started volunteering at the Whitehaven cafe and was offered a paid position here which I accepted straightaway.

“It’s my first paid job and it means the world to me to be able to do paid work.”

The cafe is open Monday to Friday and serves homemade food.

First published at 10:49, Saturday, 21 July 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk