A NEW cafe offering work experience for people with learning disabilities has opened in Darlington.

Daisies Cafe, in Duke Street, provides work experience and training placements for people of all ages with learning difficulties and mental illnesses.

Run by Accept Care Social Firms, the cafe is a social enterprise and uses any profits from the sale of food and drinks to take on and train more staff.

Project manager Laura Watson said: "We've had such a good reception already and have had people coming in all the time to ask about our work experience - people really want to come and work here.

"It is not just about employment, but about giving people with learning difficulties and mental illnesses the opportunity to gain confidence and independence.

"Everybody deserves a chance to do something they enjoy, and Daisies also gives the trainees new skills they can take into future jobs. It's something different to the usual day care they would normally have."

The cafe works alongside Mencap and other organisations to find new volunteers.

As well as serving fresh food and drinks, prepared by the trainees, Daisies hopes to become a training centre where volunteers can also work towards food hygiene certificates and other industry-recognised qualifications.

"In the current job climate, something like this is brilliant for people wanting to get a foot in the door and gain work experience, " said Ms Watson.

After establishing itself in Belfast, Accept Care Social Firms now runs four Daisies Cafes in Northern Ireland, one in Bradford and now one in Darlington - the largest of them all.

An official opening for Daisies will take place at the end of next month, with a raffle to raise money to treat the trainees to a day out.

Daisies Cafe is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 4pm, and also offers corporate and outside catering, and is available for private hire.

Anyone who has a son or daughter with learning disabilities who they think would benefit from work experience at Daisies Cafe, is asked to contact Ms Watson on 01325-469885.