Young people supported by Swindon Borough Council’s Youth Justice Service and SMASH Youth Project have been given training to run a new mobile café to give them new skills they can use in a real work environment, gaining hospitality training and valuable experience in a supportive setting.
The café, named Solid Ground by the young people involved, is located on Swindon Borough Council’s Civic Campus next to the red-brick Clarence House Victorian building, and is open to the public every Wednesday and Thursday from 10am until 3pm.
Serving high-quality hot drinks and food, the café is part of the Youth Justice Service’s wider approach to preventing offending and reoffending, while also reducing the use of custody and safeguarding children and young people by working closely with families and other agencies.
Councillor Jim Robbins, Leader of the Council, joined Councillor Emma Bushell, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Organisation Oversight, and Wiltshire and Swindon Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, to mark the occasion and meet the young people driving the project.
As well as naming the café, the young people involved designed its livery and have helped shape its day-to-day operation. The café was sourced by the Council’s Parks team and underwent a full refit with support from Phoenix Home and Heating and local café Darkroom Espresso. Industry-standard equipment was provided by The Coffee Lobby.
The project received £25,000 in funding from the Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, and delivered with support from the Council and local businesses. Council officers from public health, environmental health and licensing also helped ensure the mobile café met all operational and safety standards.
One of the young people who works on the van, supported by SMASH Youth Project, said: "Since starting at the van, I have gained confidence in myself and become more confident and tolerant of others, as well as gaining customer service skills.
"I feel I have more hope and plans for the future now and I am starting to learn how to budget and plan better with the money I earn. I am grateful to the training opportunities and have now learned barista skills.
"I have enhanced my food preparation skills further through my work on the van and I contributed to the high food and hygiene standards of the van, which I’m proud of, especially as we received an award.”
Ren Vaughan, University of Gloucestershire placement student who works on the van, said: "I started volunteering with youth work whilst in college and through seeing great youth work I decided that I wanted to become a youth worker.
"As both a young person and a growing youth practitioner, Solid Ground has given me the opportunity to develop my own confidence whilst encouraging other young people to find independence, employment and new opportunities.
"I look forward to working with the team here every week."
Councillor Paul Dixon, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, said: “Solid Ground is a fantastic example of what can happen when we back young people with the right support and meaningful opportunities.
“This project isn’t just about coffee but about building confidence, skills and a sense of purpose. It reflects the ambitions of our Swindon Plan to create a fairer Swindon where everyone has the chance to thrive, and I’m proud to see it brought to life through such strong collaboration.”
Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Philip Wilkinson, said: “We are constantly looking for initiatives which give young people the opportunity to move out of the clutches of the organised crime groups which want to drag them down into the world of drugs and criminality.
“Through funding the coffee van and working with an organisation like SMASH, which has a proven track record in working with young people, we’re able to provide them with the confidence and skills to give them the opportunity to find meaningful employment and make a positive contribution to their local community.
“With Swindon Borough Council hosting the van at their offices, it provides the continuity needed to enable this scheme to establish itself as a vital tool in the prevention of crime, and shows how partnership working between agencies can achieve that goal.”
Rowan Kikke, Lead for Innovation and Collaboration at SMASH Youth Project: "Solid Ground truly shows the potential of what can happen when charities, local authorities and funders work in collaboration.
The impact of highly skilled youth workers and interventions that are rooted in positive identity development is the key to changing the lives of Swindon and Wiltshire's young people. It has been a joy to work alongside young people to develop this opportunity."
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