Sense's Cafe 55 aired on national TV

Sense’s Café 55 in Exeter was on national television on Wednesday 19 May at 1pm on BBC2 channel. You can watch it again on iPlayer (our story starts at about 20 minutes in). In the film volunteer Donna prepares heart shaped cookies and Roger is works as a waiter.

Café 55 run by Sense in Exeter is a brand new venture to give deafblind people work experience in the catering trade. It’s all about inclusion and much of the kitchen has been adapted for use by people with sensory impairments and people in wheelchairs. Widget menus are available for deaf customers and there will soon be simple signs depicted on the walls for hearing customers to learn some basic signs.

See Hear visited Exeter to film deafblind volunteers in the café preparing food, serving customers and welcoming Judi Spiers, a local BBC radio presenter. Judi attended an event to ask for more volunteers from the community to assist the deafblind volunteers in the café. The café is currently open one day a week and it is hoped that with more help the café will be able to open more.

Café Manager, Jane Tucker and Shelagh Appleton from Sense were also interviewed about the café, Monday 17 May. Listen again on the BBC Devon site (the interview starts at 1hr 30 mins).