Enterprise support
Our innovative enterprise activities give people we support the opportunity to be part of a team, have a role in meaningful projects and meet local people in their community.
A variety of enterprise ventures are happening in some of our adult services, as well as our school in Yorkshire, Robert Ogden School. The partnership between the school and our services led to them being awarded the NAS Autism Professionals Award for Inspirational Education Provision in 2015.
We are constantly looking to create new opportunities for the people we support and the wider autism community, and are flexible to ensure that they are inclusive, resourceful and stimulating for each individual.
Making the most of our links with the autism community, we offer local artists a platform to showcase their work or share it with people we support in workshops, such as in our day service and gallery in Leicestershire. People we support in Yorkshire grow produce in their orchards and vegetable gardens to make jams and chutneys, those at our day service in Greater London run a café and their own market stall, and we’ve supported a man in Scotland to open his own glass works company.
Our enterprise ventures are a testament to the potential everyone we support has to achieve.
Enterprise projects
-
Lancashire enterprise projects: Café Autisan
Café Autisan provides an innovative environment for people on the autism spectrum to expand their skills and build self-esteem and confidence. Developed as part of a wider enterprise initiative, the café, gift shop and art gallery allow each person we support to achieve practical workplace experience. Located in the beautiful North Range building of the Grade 1 listed landmark, Whalley Abbey in Lancashire, Café Autisan promotes strong links with the local community.
What we do
We support several autistic people to work in the café, preparing and selling coffee, afternoon tea, cakes and sandwiches. Each person we support has the opportunity to complete an NVQ in catering and hospitality and achieve other recognised work-based qualifications including ASDAN. Gaining essential interview experience and developing their skill base, everyone we work with will learn transferable skills that will help contribute to brighter employment prospects.
People we support in our various adult services are also involved in developing a range of homemade products, which are on sale in the café gift shop. Any proceeds generated through the café are reinvested into providing further opportunities for the people we support.
Some of our products include
- handmade fudge
- greetings cards
- ceramic plant pots
- luxury soaps and beauty products
- homemade jams and chutneys
- sculptures and artwork
Our team
Every member of staff is fully trained to support autistic people and continues to build on their knowledge throughout their career. We get to know each individual and offer them tailored support based on their needs and ambitions. Our ambition is to create long-term employment opportunities for people on the autism spectrum.
How to access our enterprise activities
We are always looking to create new, innovative opportunities to support more people on the autism spectrum and help them to be part of their local community. Through our enterprise projects we aim to give people on the autism spectrum valuable experience in practical and meaningful work, taking into account a range of support needs.
We create a highly tailored package of support through our services, the majority of which can be funded by the local authority, depending on each person’s needs and objectives. We build a support plan around their goals and ambitions, and through our enterprise projects they achieve a variety of outcomes.
Where and when to find us:
The café is open from 10am-4pm Monday–Sundays. We encourage you to drop by and visit us to find out more about our enterprise activities, and to join our growing number of regular customers!
Café Autisan, Whalley Abbey, The Sands, Whalley, BB7 9SS
-
This innovative enterprise project allows the young adults we support at Hoylands House to make and sell produce in the local community.
Making full use of produce grown at Hoylands House, our residential service near Barnsley, and our links with the local area and our schools and services, we've created an enterprise where the adults we support can take part in a meaningful activity with a strong connection to the community. This enterprise is highly valued as it enables us to expand opportunities for the adults we support and develop their independence, purpose and confidence.Getting involved
Activities range from gathering fruit from the orchards or vegetables from the allotment, to collecting eggs from our free-range chickens and taking part in workshops led by a local soap company. The people we support learn to be resourceful and experience the full process of making a product ready for sale.
The adults we support can get involved at various stages in the process, depending on their individual interests and abilities. They can help in the production of various items on-site, such as preparing jams or hand-printing wrapping paper. Or, they can help in the shop itself and meet some of the customers. They develop new skills, confidence and independence through being part of a team and having a project that they look forward to and enjoy. Every member of staff is fully trained to support autistic people and continues to build on their knowledge throughout their career. We provide staff for each activity according to the needs of the people we are supporting.Our products
We sell a variety of products including:
- hand-made soaps
- scented candles
- insect repellent candles
- hand-printed wrapping paper and gift tags
- free-range eggs
- fudge (produced and packaged at Robert Ogden School)
- bird boxes (also produced at Robert Ogden School)
- hand-made cards
- jams and chutneys
- potted plants, hanging baskets and perennials
Development
While Hoylands House and the shop are located in large, tranquil grounds, they are also close to transport links and a main road, making them easy to find. The shop has a number of regular customers and has become a welcome part of local community life.
The people we support get valuable experience interacting with new people in a shop environment, and customers can often see their products being made in the workshop area. Profits from the shop are reinvested into developing new enterprise opportunities and products. We're always looking to create new, innovative ways to support more autistic people and help them to be part of their local community through our enterprise activities.