After his Youth Offending Team worker offered him the chance to join a Volunteer it Yourself (VIY) redecoration project at the Look in Café in Great Hollands, Ali jumped at the opportunity to give something back to his community.
But for Ali, the experience is about more than just helping to renovate the café. He said:
“I’m really interested in electrics and hope to become a qualified electrician. Volunteering on this project is helping me gain the trade skills and experience I need to use as a gateway into my career.”
Ali - young volunteer
The redecoration project
The Look in Café is a much-loved community café located in the heart of Great Hollands. After closing for two weeks, it was fully redecorated through a partnership between Abri, a large housing association based in the south of England, and Volunteer it Yourself (VIY), a not-for-profit community interest company combining hands-on DIY with youth volunteering.
The café, which also hosts a community pantry funded by Abri, sits within one of our Community Investment Project (CIP) zones- areas we’ve identified as needing extra support. Recognising its importance as a local hub, we enlisted VIY to help refresh the space.
A total of ten young volunteer learners worked on the project, supported by professional tradespeople throughout. Together, they built confidence and developed practical skills in painting and decorating. Each learner achieved a City & Guilds accreditation, supporting their future careers in the trades.
Reflecting on his experience, Ali said:
"I really enjoyed the project. It helped me build my skills, gain my City & Guilds accreditation and be part of something that will make a difference in the community."
The refurbishment at the Look in Café was funded by our partners Travis Perkins Managed Services (TPMS) and Rexel through our social value procurement approach, where we work closely with our partners to give something back to the communities we serve.
More about the Look in Café
The Look in Café not only offers affordable food and drinks, but also hosts a community pantry that we support, providing healthy food at a fraction of supermarket prices. More than that, it serves as a safe, welcoming space where local people can come together.
Stewart, who has run the café for over 15 years, is Bracknell through-and-through. Before taking over the café, he worked as a chef for Bracknell Forest Council.
After working hard to make the café more profitable and bring down costs, the regeneration of Bracknell Town Centre meant the café had to relocate. Following six months of searching, Stewart moved it to its current home in Great Hollands Square. Today, the Look in Café continues to operate as a not-for-profit community asset, funded through sales and local grants.
Stewart said:
“The Look in Café is a real labour of love for me, it’s hard work, but I absolutely love it. It means so much to me and the local community. A place like this isn’t just about the food, it’s a space people can use to meet up. We get people who’ve first come in on their own, who’ve made friends here and now regularly meet up at the café.”
“When we closed for the redecoration works, I had regulars coming up to me wondering what they were going to do for two weeks. It’s a real community feeling here.”
Speaking about the redecoration, Stewart added:
“I’m a big fan of the new look, it looks a lot brighter now and from what the locals have said, most of them seem to like it. Once we get all the pictures back up on the wall it’ll feel 100% complete.”
What do customers think of the new look?
Before the redecoration, most of the regular customers thought that it needed a bit of a refresh, with some commenting: “it needs a brighter colour and fresh paint”, and “not bad for a local café- clean and tidy but could do with freshening up”
But now the café has reopened, it has received plenty of praise for its brighter, more welcoming feel, with one regular saying: “it looks very clean and bright, more striking” and another remarking how it “looks lovely and makes the café look bigger.”