New coffee shop to open in Eastbourne town centre

Award-winning social enterprise Change Please opens its doors in The Beacon on Monday, May 8. It will offer its full menu of coffees from its site at the entrance of FOUNDRY.

The coffee unit will be open seven days a week and will welcome customers until 3pm every day.

FOUNDRY, a joint initiative between Adam Walker and Beacon owners Legal and General Investment Management, welcomed the arrival of Change Please.

Mr Walker said: “We are excited to welcome Change Please to Eastbourne, a social enterprise that donates every penny of profit to the homeless.

“Their business model puts employment first.

“They try to empower people experiencing homelessness to get back into work. Every time a customer buys a coffee, not only are they getting a fantastic cup, they are helping an award-winning social enterprise.”

A spokesperson from Change Please added: “We work with people experiencing homelessness from a range of backgrounds, including ex-offenders, rough sleepers, sofa surfers, people experiencing domestic violence and [those] at risk of tenancy loss. 

“Our training programmes last between one week and six months depending on how near to the jobs market a trainee is. While people are with us, we support with mental wellbeing, housing, therapy, additional training, employability, interview and presentation skills. All of this is to ensure that people are ready to work and have the resources to maintain employment and tenancies, lifting themselves into better lives. ”

Customers are encouraged to wander along the FOUNDRY shopping mall and see the range of pop-up retailers that are new to the town.

Mr Walker said: “Entrepreneurs looking for a start in retail cannot always afford to go straight into a shopping centre.

“Our micro units offer a cost-effective alternative where you can test the market before moving into a bigger site.”

The co-working hub on the first floor of FOUNDRY has attracted huge interest from across the Eastbourne business community, according to The Beacon.

Mr Walker said: “95 per cent of the offices or studios are now occupied, and we are interviewing a number of local businesses about the remaining studios."

READ THIS:

Pictures: Magnificent Motors returns to Eastbourne seafront

We tried out the new international food chain that has opened in Eastbourne town centre - in pictures

Pictures: Teenager arrested and man taken to hospital after being stabbed in Eastbourne town centre