Sutton Beans and Bloom at Cheam Whitehall building

Cheam’s historic Whitehall will now open six days a week after the Beans and Bloom coffee shop opened up in the building last month.

Before Beans and Bloom moved at the end of last month, Whitehall was only open three days a week.

This led some people to complain that the historic building was hard to access.

Beans and Bloom is a venture of the Carshalton-based Nickel Support, a social enterprise that exists to help people with learning disabilities learn social skills and find employment.

Aware of their great work in the borough, Sutton Council eventually reached out to Nickel Support to see if they wanted to open a coffee shop in the building.

One of Nickel Support’s founders, Elena Nicola, explained how Beans to Bloom came to be.

She told the LDRS: “The council has seen what we’ve done, liked what we were offering and wanted a community in the building rather than another standalone business.

“They felt that by doing what we’re doing, we could bring more people back into the heritage buildings and we can see that it has already. Even though this is the first full week, we can see people loving the fact that the museum is open all week now.

“It was part of the agreement with the council that we would open up the building Monday to Friday. It’s been really nice seeing people come here and say I haven’t been here for years because I could never get here on a Thursday.

“We’re hoping our trainees will soon be able to help with the front of house. They could welcome people, tell them it’s free and to look around and that there’s a coffee shop waiting for them at the end.”

Whitehall is a timber framed building former Yeoman’s house. thought to be built around 1500.

Along with Whitehall, Sutton Council also owns and manages the Honeywood Museum and Little Holland House in Carshalton.

Elena and Ashley Walsh, who manage communications for Nickel Support, both believe that the new arrangement will allow more people to appreciate Sutton’s historical gems.

Elena said: “We’ve had a couple of people from abroad who have come to visit Whitehall. Two American ladies came here the other day, because they heard that it was a place to go for English history… and a lovely coffee shop.”

The coffee shop is fully staffed by trainee baristas who have come through Nickel Support’s employment scheme. The trainees have learning difficulties and/or autism, and are hoping to develop their social and employment skills with the help of Nickel’s dedicated staff.

Elena and her business partner Nick Walsh decided to set up Nickel Support in 2012. According to Nickel Support’s website: “They felt that people with learning disabilities deserved more and were being short-changed by some of the more traditional services.”

Soon after establishing themselves as a trusted disability support group, Nickel Support took to getting their trainees involved at their flagship coffee shop in Carshalton, where they would serve customers and make artisan jams and preserves for their own brand, Interestingly Different.

Nickel Support was in the limelight earlier this summer when Lib Dem leader Ed Davey attended the Carshalton branch whilst on the election campaign trail. Mr Davey, whose party eventually won Carshalton and Wallington back from the Conservatives, was pictured making chilli jam with the assistance of Nickel’s trainees.

Alongside support from Sutton Council, who often make referrals to the service, Nickel Support also receives backing from the Bloomfield Trust. The trust is well known for partnering with charitable organisations that are helping autistic people gain skills for the workplace.

According to Elena, Beans and Bloom represents another opportunity for trainees to learn skills and get to grips with a varied working environment. She said: “The trainees have blown me away. When you open up these opportunities you give them a space to shine.

“We want people to come in, and it just so happens that a person with a learning disability is working there. It’s the same here, it’s another coffee shop but it’s also the best coffee shop.”

Ashley added: “It’s also about changing perceptions. When someone comes in that is served by someone with a learning disability, then later when they’re thinking about employing someone they’ll know that they are capable of doing the job.”

Part of the reason why Elena and Nick set up Nickel Support was due to what they saw as the barriers that disabled people face when getting into work. In particular, Elena feels the way most interviews are conducted do not take learning disabilities into account.

Elena said: “Even applying for a job is difficult, especially these new AI-assisted interviews where you have to look at a camera. To pass you have to keep eye contact and your answers have to be quick.”

“For some of our trainees before have needed time to process the questions, but they’re not given this time. Every stage has its barriers.”

Interview training is provided by Nickel Support staff and trainees are actively encouraged to engage in professional development by taking food hygiene courses. At Beans and Bloom, trainees also benefit from regular customer interaction from people coming to Whitehall for a look around.

Elena and Ashley believe parents also benefit from this arrangement, as it allows them to have more of their own free time whilst their children chart their own course. According to Elena, some of the trainees have become much more engaged in their family and social lives as a result.

Elena said: “The fact that parents can now have a conversation with their adult child is amazing. The employment is important, but they’re also learning to have a relationship with their family and friends.”

“A lot of our trainees don’t always have a life away from their parents or carers, so this helps them make their transition into being an adult and finding their own friends.

“We had a trainee that was in Jamaica for his family holiday, he was getting involved in a yoga session by the pool. When the instructors asked him where he was from he said he was from Nickel Support. That was everything to hear, especially because he didn’t communicate before. “

Danny has been involved with Nickel Support for the past three years and has always wanted to learn how to be a barista. Since the opening of the coffee shop last month, he is now teaching other people how to make the perfect cappuccino.

Danny, who won trainee of the year, said: “My life has definitely changed in the past three years, it’s a lot easier talking to people now. I also go out and see people a lot more now.”

Julie Gill, who was visiting Beans and Bloom for the first time, has a son who has been involved with Nickel Support for the last few years.

She explained how he has ‘come out of his shell’ during his time with Nickel Support. She said: “He has loved the process, it takes him time to meet new people but he’s enjoying this and he’s made some good friends through it.”

Nickel Support currently has 130 trainees in its scheme and takes trainees from Croydon, Merton, Wandsworth, Lambeth as well as Sutton. While the intention is to grow the service to support more people with learning difficulties across the capital, Elena admits they need to take their time.

Elena said: “We do currently have a waiting list and are looking to open up more services in the future, but we try to make it about quality service not bums on seats. We don’t want to rush anything we do because you lose getting to know people and provide the right service and support for trainees.”

Leader of the council, Councillor Barry Lewis, said: “Nickel Support is an invaluable and vital part of the Sutton community. We share the same ambition – to make Sutton an inclusive place for everyone and their new coffee shop at the council’s Whitehall Historic House in Cheam celebrates this.

“I have already been down to visit the coffee shop and it was great to meet the team to hear about their exciting plans for the future. I wish them lots of luck and urge everyone to go visit Whitehall House, pop into Beans and Bloom coffee shop and enjoy the delicious cake and coffee.”

For more information about Nickel Support, visit their website.