Community Junction
Why we recommend Community Junction Cafe in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
If you're ever in Newcastle-under-Lyme, you should check out the Community Junction cafe. It's just outside of the town centre at Andrew Place, and is open during term-time between 9.30am and 2pm Monday to Friday.
Where: Andrew Place, just outside Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre
Opening hours: Term time only, 9.30am to 2pm, Monday to Friday
Who runs it: Staff and students from Newfriars College, a college for 16 to 24 year olds with additional needs. Students work front of house and in the kitchen with staff support
Food: All-day breakfast and homemade cakes, all very reasonably priced. They also take cake orders for birthdays and other occasions
Details as we found them on our visit — always check with the cafe before you go.
'What makes this place special?' - you may ask. Well... this cafe is run by staff and students from Newfriars College - a college for young people between the ages of 16 and 24, who have additional needs. Students at the college may struggle to get work experience because of their additional needs, so the cafe gives them that opportunity.
Some students work front of house - taking customer orders, taking payment, making drinks, taking orders to customers and clearing tables. While some students work in the kitchen - baking cakes, preparing food for customers and doing the washing-up! This is all done with staff support, so they get the experience but they're not completely on their own.
The cakes that they make are absolutely delicious, are highly recommended and very reasonably priced too!
Some of the cakes made at Community Junction, plus a biscuit made there.
They also do orders for people for special occasions, such as birthdays, Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day.
A Mothers' Day bouquet made of cupcakes and a Fathers' Day sweet box
They do a fabulous all-day breakfast too, which is very filling and very reasonably priced.
It's a cafe that we like to go to when we're in the area and it's fantastic to see the students grow in confidence as they progress with doing their work experience in the cafe. It's definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.
Planning your own day out? See our full UK carer ticket and disabled admission directory — carer policies, disabled parking and access notes for every place we have reviewed.
