Pure Innovations, the Stockport charity supporting people with learning difficulties and autism, have taken over the running of the Windmill Coffee Shop, in Stockport Homes Cornerstone building.
The charity also run their Pure Cafés in Stockport and Oldham, as well as bakery The Kitchen. Pure Innovations will provide further opportunities at the Windmill Coffee Shop for the people it supports to gain valuable work experience and training opportunities within retail and hospitality.
Located on the ground floor of Stockport Homes Group’s Cornerstone building, on the corner of the A6 and Edward Street, the Windmill Coffee Shop takes its name from the windmill that previously occupied the site from 1784 to 1857, when it was demolished.
The windmill’s foundations were rediscovered when the Lamborghini showroom was demolished to build the Cornerstone building. The windmill originally powered the Edward Street Mill, before the advent of steam.
The coffee shop will offer a selection of lunches, cakes, drinks and snacks for customers, as well as bread made by the charity at The Kitchen. The new addition to Pure’s cafés will provide more of the charity’s clients will opportunities to reap the benefits of learning new work skills and having a valued role in the community.
Before Pure Innovations, the Windmill Coffee Shop was run as a social enterprise by Anne and Robert Wallace. The couple continue to run Start Point Coffee Shop in Woodley Precinct as a social enterprise.