Step off the Ipswich high street and something shifts. St Lawrence Café – bright, open, calm – feels different. Staff ask how you are on entering. Laughter comes from behind the counter. At corner tables, regulars chat with volunteers over steaming mugs.
"You come in and it just feels right," says one regular. "It's like a second home."
But for many working here, it's far more than a welcoming workplace. It's where lives change direction entirely.
Building people up through work
St Lawrence Café is part of Realise Futures, a social enterprise supporting adults who face barriers to employment, particularly people with learning disabilities, mental ill health or long-term unemployment. The structure is clear: short-term placements, consistent support, and genuine progression.
Many start with eight weeks of work experience. Some stay on to volunteer. Some progress into paid roles.
"Before I started working here I wasn't doing anything. I had no energy, I was always laying in bed, sleeping all day," says Chloe. "And since I started working here it's been so much better for me."
She came through the Jobcentre. "When I first got here, I was really shy. I'd just go in the corner so no one could see me. Since then, everyone's been bringing me out of my shell and I've got a lot more confidence in myself and so much more energy than what I used to have."
Her advice to newcomers:
"Don't panic when it gets busy. Some people tend to panic on the hot drinks. They want to get it all done quickly, but it's about the quality of the drink, not the speed. Take your time. Believe in yourself."
Fifteen years of growth
Kim, one of the longest-serving staff members, started 15 years ago after leaving school.
"I used to find even saying hello really hard," she says. "Now I'm coaching new volunteers, cashing up, opening and closing up. If Caron's not here, I'm running the café."
Her journey has spanned multiple Realise Futures sites. She ran the café at Gainsborough Library for years, then opened another in the Town Hall before returning to St Lawrence.
"I've got learning disabilities so I do struggle, but this place built me up."
Becoming the supporter
Beth's journey started with struggle. "At first, it was tough," she says. "I had loads of panic attacks. I couldn't even leave the house some days. But now I get one-to-one support, and I support training new people. I show them what to do, let them know it's okay to mess up."
"We've all had a first day."
Beth is a wellbeing colleague, one of the supported placements at St Lawrence. She now leads on food prep, handles sandwich orders, and supports volunteers learn the ropes using recipe cards and visual guides. When new work experience people arrive for their first week, Beth often takes them under her wing.
"I feel like I'm supporting people. It feels massive."
From nervous to needed
"I was very, very nervous when I started," says Tina. "I didn't even want to say my name out loud. Now I'm on the till, I've made loads of friends."
That sense of belonging matters. Many say it gives them reason to get out of bed.
"When we're not working, we all go for lunch, meet up, have parties," says Chloe. "We're good friends now."
Real food, real training
The café serves hearty, freshly made food: jacket potatoes, soups, sandwiches, roast dinners and plenty of cake. Nearly everything is made from scratch – rainbow coleslaw, egg mayonnaise, even éclairs.
Staff learn to identify parts of the coffee machine, follow visual recipe cards, and make drinks to a professional standard. Flat whites, cappuccinos and hot chocolates are made with care. Latte art is taught. Consistency matters.
Training sheets are personalised and taken home. For coffee training, staff start by naming components such as the crema and group head, before progressing to making drinks. Visual guides show exactly how dishes should look on the plate.
Beyond the café
Manager Caron Mexome ran cafés across London before opening her own place in Woodbridge.
"I was with Coffee Republic when they were still quite small," she says. "Then I went to Eat Café, ran Fleet Street, and later opened my own businesses."
She thought she'd stay at St Lawrence a year. That was eight years ago.
"I'd never worked with anyone with a disability in my life. But once I started here, I knew I'd never go back to corporate. It's about life, isn't it?"
She leads with empathy and direct honesty. "We see potential in everyone. It's not just about work. It's about building a life."
Staff echo this. "If I have a problem, I can go to Caron. She supports me through it."
A genuine community
It's not just a workplace. It's a community hub. Around 25 groups regularly use the café space. The Red Hatters come dressed in purple and red, supporting women who've lost partners or moved to new areas. Bereavement dinners attract 70 people. Blind singers perform at Christmas. Peer support groups meet regularly to support people navigate complex benefits forms.
"Some of those forms, they're never going to fill them in on their own," Caron says. "So we support."
The police run regular information sessions. Schools bring students to experience inclusive work environments. A "happy to chat" sign in multiple languages invites lonely customers to join others at designated tables.
"If someone hasn't been in, we ask around," says Caron. "I wish I had a book with everyone's number."
One man celebrated his 99th birthday at the café. When he died, Caron attended his funeral. Another customer, grieving after losing her sister and best friend within two months, found community here when she had nowhere else to go.
Part of a bigger mission
This approach extends across Suffolk through Realise Futures' network of social businesses. At Growing Places in Claydon, people build confidence through horticulture. At Eco Furniture, teams make benches and garden furniture from recycled plastic. There's also Poppy's Pantry wholefood shop. Each offers structured, supported work to those often excluded elsewhere.
Together, they're addressing a persistent problem. Many traditional workplaces still lack the flexibility, patience or understanding required for people with mental health challenges, learning disabilities or long-term unemployment.
Why it matters
At St Lawrence Café, the opposite happens. The support is built in. The belief in people is the starting point. And the result is visible: confidence restored, skills shared, lives rebuilt.
"We just said, keep coming. This is your place too," says Caron.
In 2023, just 53% of working-age disabled people were in employment. Yet this work operates in a precarious funding environment. When government funding for work experience placements was cut, they continued regardless.
A quiet revolution
In a world that often rushes past its most vulnerable, St Lawrence Café slows down. Chloe supports new starters build their confidence. Kim opens up each morning and keeps things running. Beth shows people the ropes, reminding them it's okay to mess up.
Coffee gets made. Lives get rebuilt. One conversation at a time.
The bottom line
St Lawrence Café demonstrates that with the right support structure and genuine belief in people's potential, workplaces can become transformative spaces where careers don't just begin – they flourish alongside rebuilt confidence and lasting community connections.
St Lawrence Café, Dial Lane, Ipswich. Open Monday to Saturday.
