Our Aims

We aim to run as a profitable business (all profits are re-invested) and to challenge the misconceptions of blind or partially sighted people in employment by:

• Provide a welcoming conference environment
• Preparing and serving food sourced from local ingredients and suppliers
• Having a workforce that is comprised of a majority of blind or partially sighted people

Why Choose Us?

• Customer focused service
• Locally sourced and seasonal fresh foods
• Five minutes from Birmingham New Street Station
• Blind or partially sighted trainees gain experience of hospitality and catering work
• All inclusive price for room hire (includes data projection, PC), 2 course lunch and refreshments
• Our tea and coffee is fair-trade, organic and rainforest alliance
• Free broadband internet and WiFi

Top Quality Food

Our food is ‘home cooked’ on our premises by our own blind chefs. We use locally sourced or specialist ingredients to produce restaurant quality catering for your event. We don’t do sandwiches (unless you ask us to) and we only use fair-trade tea and coffee, organic milk and free range eggs.

Our kitchen was award the top 5H score by Birmingham City Council for hygiene standards in 2009 and our Chefs have Level 4 and Level 3 Awards in Managing Food Safety and Catering.

Our Social Aims

As a Social Firm, we employ a minimum of 25% of our staff that are blind or partially sighted and derive more than 50% of our income from trade.

We employ a small number of permanent staff in the key areas of management and marketing, catering and finance.

One of the key functions of Concept is to provide training opportunities to blind or partially sighted people. Blind or partially sighted people are less likely to be offered work opportunities, especially in the hospitality and catering industry.

Of the 18 trainees who have currently passed through our centre (upto July 2009), 14 have gone into paid employment and 4 have chosen volunteering or further education. There have also been 14 candidates carrying out volunteering employment placements and 20 people on a number of 2-day cookery courses.

Partnerships

We think the best way to run a Social Firm is to work in partnership with other organisations that share our values. We do this in a number of ways:

• The Third Sector Conference Directory is a network of not for profit, Social Enterprises and Charity conference venues across Birmingham. Together, we promote each other and the benefits of using Third Sector venues for conferencing and meetings.
• We support local food and environmental initiatives such as recycling, Farmers Markets and local supplier networks.
• We work with independent trainers to provide quality training courses at a fair price on cookery, team building, personal development, quality measures and funding.
• Working with organisations to support and promote the benefits of using Social Enterprises.

Links

Supporters

www.actionforblindpeople.org.uk - Action for Blind People
www.rnib.org.uk – Royal National Institute for Blind People

Social Enterprise movement organisations

www.socialenterprise.org.uk – Social Enterprise Coalition
www.socialfirms.co.uk – Social Firms UK
www.socialenterprisewm.org.uk – Social Enterprise West Midlands
www.bssec.org.uk – Birmingham & Solihull Social Economy Consortium

Partnership

www.fundingideas.co.uk – Funding Ideas (Training)
www.citizencoaching.com – Citizen Coaching (Training)
www.viewpoint-research.co.uk – Viewpoint (Research)

Food Initiatives

www.24carrots.org.uk – Jewellery Quarter Farmers Market
www.fairtrade.org.uk – The Fair-trade Organisation
www.soilassociation.org – The Social Association
www.rainforest-alliance.org – The Rainforest Alliance

Environmental Issues

www.environment-agency.gov.uk – The Environment Agency