Painting refresh of a community hall which is used as a social enterprise cafe

Requestee

BRAW TEA CIC

Location

the ferry ward

Evidence of Completion

Braw Tea CIC is a social enterprise cafe supporting women with extra challenges in life. We provide barista, front of house, food hygiene and kitchen skills training in our busy live cafe to support employment and self-esteem, confidence building. Robertsons Construction already had an established relationship with local social enterprise Cafe Braw Tea, having previously worked with them on an employability support programme. Braw Tea use their cafe as a base for delivering support and training to a range of women in the city including those who are refugees, have health issues, those who are unemployed and struggling to get back into employment and those who are socially isolated. Braw Tea put a community wish on the portal requesting help with painting as part of a wider renovation of the Cafe. Robertsons where happy to help bringing in local contractor Angus Dec to support the painting, which required scaffolding to reach high roof spaces and beams something the cafe would not have been able to afford to do on their own. Cafe founder Jackie McKenzie says: “I was delighted when they got in touch with me...When I put the wish up there, I thought nobody would pick it up because it’s such a big job. I’m really chuffed. It looks so much fresher, cleaner and more modern. Now I feel like it fits our ethos of doing local, seasonal food from scratch.” Kris Sparks, pre-construction director at Robertson Construction Tayside said “Braw Tea provides a safe, supportive space for women in the local community. The condition of the building was holding that back. Through Dundee City Council’s Community Wishes scheme we were able to step in and help out with the support of our supply chain. A simple intervention like this can have a real impact for volunteers, staff and customers. It is good to see the space brought back into use in a way that reflects what the cafe stands for.”