The Loading Bay X Itec

Community Cafe goes from strength to strength

The Loading Bay Community Café, located in Newport, has become a cornerstone of its local community since opening its doors in 2018. Initially launched by Faith Church with the aim of providing a welcoming space for people from all walks of life, including parents and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the café has grown from strength to strength. Thanks to crucial support from the Jobs Growth Wales (JGW+) programme and a partnership with Itec, the café has been able to expand its impact, providing meaningful work experience, training opportunities, and a sustainable environment for individuals seeking to enter the workforce. This article explores how a combination of community spirit, strategic partnerships, and investment has allowed the café to thrive, and how it has become a model for social enterprise in the region.

The Loading Bay Community Café was opened by Faith Church in 2018, when a suitable space became available in the building that the church had been slowly renovating since it moved in three years earlier. The original idea was to provide a safe, welcoming space for local people, including parents with young children and people from disadvantaged backgrounds, to meet up and chat in an informal, friendly environment. The café was the most ambitious project undertaken by Faith Church, since occupying a disused warehouse building on the outskirts of Newport.

The Warehouse, on Rogerstone’s Wern Industrial Estate, was a former sweet factory that had been abandoned before the church began leasing part of the building for its Sunday services. Over the next few years, with the help of grant funding and the support of numerous volunteers, the team transformed the building into a variety of community spaces and low-cost office units, that it rented to small, local businesses and community groups. Profits from tenants, which included a nail salon, a fully-equipped gym, a printing business and a mortgage adviser, were re-invested into transforming the building. By the time the café opened, The Warehouse was home to more than 20 local businesses, charities and community groups, including an established music school, three different theatre groups, an archery club, a toddler’s music group and a martial arts club.

In 2024, new investment from a local firm of architects and a £300,000 regeneration grant from the Welsh Government enabled the firm to buy the building from its previous owner and lease the community space back to Faith Church. This allowed it to focus on its community activities, including expansion of The Loading Bay Café. It was around this time that Itec made contact with Faith Church and explained the benefits of the Jobs Growth Wales programme (JGW+), a meeting that proved to be a game-changer for the community café.

“I remember hearing about the support that Itec could provide through the JGW+ programme and thinking that it would be perfect for The Loading Bay,” said Mike Taylor, the pastor at Faith Church. “The cafe was gathering momentum again after the COVID lockdown, but finances were still very difficult, so getting support from Itec enabled us to take on additional team members, while keeping our prices as low as possible, to ensure the café remained accessible to everyone. We have always taken the approach of giving work opportunities to people who we feel will benefit from the experience, rather than taking on experienced staff. In practice, this means a greater level of support and mentoring is needed, which wouldn’t necessarily be possible without the support of Itec and JGW+”.
Itec’s JGW+ Area Manager, Ruth Sainsbury said, “It’s a pleasure to collaborate with Faith Church/ Loading Bay Cafe and all of the staff.  They provide fantastic mentorship, guidance and support to our learners whilst providing work experience in an inclusive environment.”

The three Itec learners on placement with the employment strand of JGW+ are thoroughly enjoying their time in the community. Finlay Jones, Zachery Taylor (both pictured above) and Delilah Worthing are busy upskilling for their future careers. Finlay said, “I am really enjoying my employment here. It’s helping me enhance my skills”.
Find out more about JGW+ Employment strand.

Mike Taylor is also a trustee of Building Foundations, a small charity based at The Warehouse. Building Foundations was set up to provide informal training, work experience and mentoring to people who are not in education, employment or training. The charity initially focused on teaching construction skills, creating a purpose-built workshop and outdoor training area, taking donations of materials from local builders’ merchants and recruiting volunteers to teach skills like brick laying and carpentry. Last year, a decision was taken to transfer the day-to-day operation of The Loading Bay Community Café from Faith Church to Building Foundations, which helped to create new opportunities and also paved the way for further collaboration with Itec.

“Being able to offer training and work experience in hospitality and catering, as well as in construction, has been great for Building Foundations and has also provided a major boost for the café,” said Taylor. “We are currently supporting three full time positions via the JGW+ programme, which has enabled us to provide more opportunities to other people who are coming to us for work experience, including those with additional needs who have found it challenging to hold down a regular job. Itec has been incredibly supportive of what we are looking to achieve at the Loading Bay and Building Foundations and is helping us to give young people the opportunity, experience and confidence to progress into the world of work.”

“We are now keen to talk to Itec about other ways in which we could work together, including providing work placements for students who are studying for a WJEC Level 1 Award in Catering and Hospitality. This would be something new for Building Foundations that would add a new dimension to our workforce, while giving other team members on casual placements a first-hand insight into the benefits of more formal, vocational training.”