Volunteers and workers at the Midsomer Norton charity, PEOPLE, have been working hard since their shop opening on 6th June 2022 to put together a special space for the public to read, relax and talk.

Thanks to the SSE programme, PEOPLE have been able to expand their shop at 84b High Street, Midsomer Norton, and encorporate a safe space for people to come and read whilst in town. Latte Lounge, which can be found behind the shop, is set to open on Monday, 26th September at 11am, with special guest writer, Karla Neblett, set to cut the ribbon.

The Bath and North East Somerset Social Entrepeneurs Programme, led by the School for Social Entrepeneurs (SSE) in partnership with 3SG. It is funded by the UK Government through the UK Community Renewal Fund, which is managed by the West of England Combined Authority within the Bath and North East Somerset region.

The programme supports people in B&NES to start and develop businesses that put people and planet first.

CEO Dr Jenny Clifford, alongside Tymon Emery, Housing and Accommodation Services Manager, have been working hard to not only continue to help those using the service, but also get the shop up and running and are now looking forward to opening Latte Lounge, Jenny told The Journal: “Getting a place on this prestigious programme was a wonderful experience and meeting so many like-minded people with great organisations and ideas was very inspiring.

“Latte Lounge is completely unique; it will offer tea, coffee, cakes, book exchanges and will be a training facility for the charity and other groups.

“The SSE Programme has meant we have been able to develop this area to be a safe space for our service users and the public. Everything raised from Latte Lounge will go straight back into the charity to enable us to progress and help as many people as possible.

“This space is about creating somewhere with a nice, calm atmosphere; it is about encouraging people to come out who may be feeling anxious post covid, or for anyone who just needs somewhere quiet and peaceful.”

The charity have a lot of plans to expand in the coming months, with hopes to build relationships within schools and colleges, Tymon explained: “We used to do a lot of work with Fosse Way School from 2007, right until we closed our other shop last year. Students would get involved with the charity for their work experience by helping out in the shop.

“Inclusion is really important to us so we would love to offer opportunities to develop work based skills again and encourage them to get involved in the café with the books.

“We have already been very well supported by the community who have offered their time and help and that for us is amazing. All of the tradesmen working on Latte Lounge have been great in turning this into a lovely, inclusive space where we can continue to support people who need us the most.”

Following the opening of Latte Lounge, Jenny and Ty are hoping to offer loyalty cards, book exchanges and implement education/training days once groups become familiar with the space.

Latte Lounge will be open from Tuesday, 27th September from 9:30am-3:30pm Monday-Saturday.

To learn more about Latte Lounge, its opening times and how you can volunteer, visit: LatteLounge@84b on Facebook, or email: [email protected].