Located in the central glass building in Lisburn Square, Lisburn this new city centre business will help support local young adults aged 19 to 35 who have additional needs.
Speaking about its new venture, Philip Reain-Adair, Director of Services at Live Life Wellbeing Centre said: “Our charity’s purpose is to provide a high-quality day opportunities service to help participants achieve their Social Mission Goals. An essential element of our programme is the development of employability skills and our participants are essentially working for themselves. They will benefit financially, physically and mentally from this exciting venture.
“We are delighted to be partnering with the Haslem Hotel as part of their social value strategy to support local community investment. A permanent outlet to sell our products was the final piece in the puzzle and we are so grateful to the management at Haslem Hotel for giving our participants this opportunity.”
Live Life Wellbeing Centre participants make the shop products through their 'Pottery and Ceramics' Social Enterprise alongside woollen products. They are currently busy working on their winter range of stock.
Alderman Amanda Grehan, Regeneration and Growth Chair at Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council officially opened this new local business. Alderman Grehan said: “It is fantastic to see social enterprises embracing the opportunity to provide their services within our city centre. Not only does it promote the positive message of inclusivity in our city but has brought a previous vacant unit to life.
“The young people are so excited to have their very own shop and to see the products they have spent a great deal of time making on display and available for purchase. I would encourage customers to have a chat with the young people. They are a very sociable group and engaging with others helps to further develop their communication skills.
“As we head towards the festive season I am confident the items produced by the Live Life Wellbeing Centre will make beautiful, bespoke gifts. The council’s Business Solutions team will be working alongside the Live Life Wellbeing Centre in the months ahead to offer support through programmes it manages to allow it to grow further. I wish Philip and his team every success in their new venture.”
The shop will be staffed by participants, parents and volunteers. Customers will be able to watch products being made by the participants in the shop.
Opening times will vary between 10am to 2pm Monday to Friday. The shop will be open every Tuesday morning to coincide with Lisburn Market and will be open for extended evening opening hours and weekends during the festive period.