Seven new jobs are being created after incredABLE – which provides opportunities for young people with autism or learning difficulty – was appointed to take on the running of a cafe at Banbridge Leisure Centre.
Café incredABLE @ Banbridge Leisure Centre – which will officially open to the public on Monday, November 7 – will be located on the first floor of the centre, adjacent to the swimming pool viewing gallery, and will operate seven days a week.
Serving freshly made hot and cold options including delicious made-to-order breakfasts and lunches as well as grab-and-go items and in-house catering, the new café will have lots on offer for refuelling after your work-out or for catching up with friends or family.
The contract award, which follows a competitive procurement tender process, will support the creation of seven new jobs and will continue to provide more opportunities for young people with autism and/or a learning difficulty in the area.
Welcoming the announcement, Lord Mayor Paul Greenfield said: “With a successful track record for delivering top-class hospitality services not only at council’s South Lake Leisure Centre but across their many other enterprises, I am delighted to welcome the hardworking and award-winning incredABLE team to Banbridge Leisure Centre as they take on this new contract.”
Particularly popular with swimmers, Banbridge Leisure Centre has four pool areas, a water slide, a thermal health suite, and a number of water features; the facility also has a six-court sports hall, three-court squash courts, outdoor pitches and offers exercise classes in pilates, circuits, indoor cycling, aqua aerobics and much more.
incredABLE CEO Nigel Hampton said their social enterprise success to date is down to the hard-work and determination of their staff, trainees, and volunteers.
He said: “We are very fortunate at incredABLE to have such dedicated staff who believe in the huge difference social enterprises can make to the community and want to assist these young people with autism and/or a learning disability they train to achieve their goal of meaningful employment.
“Our cafes pride themselves in providing a very high standard of customer service, food and beverages with both our Lurgan and Craigavon cafes holding five-star Food Hygiene Awards since opening their doors.
“We look forward to giving the people of Banbridge an incredABLE welcome to our new social enterprise café.”
This announcement marks the second hospitality contract in an ABC council leisure facility for the Richhill-based social enterprise, having opened Café incredABLE @ South Lake at the state-of-the-art South Lake Leisure Centre in autumn 2020.
Opening hours at Café incredABLE @ Banbridge Leisure Centre will be Monday – Friday, 9am to 7pm, Saturday 9am – 4pm and Sunday, 12noon to 4pm. To find out more about Banbridge Leisure Centre, visit: getactiveabc.com/facility/banbridge-leisure-centre
