Big changes are coming to the Cookie Bar in Hindhead. What began in 2011 as a community café is set to add a pioneering alternative learning hub for young people at risk of becoming NEET (not in education, employment or training) or excluded from mainstream schooling.

The café was founded by Larry Sullivan to provide an inclusive and aspirational space for young adults with special educational needs.

George Pickersgill, head of alternative provision at Pathways Community Trust, explained the urgent need for such initiatives: “Those with moderate learning difficulties have a median age of death of 60; for those with more severe difficulties it is just 40. This isn’t caused by their learning difficulties, but by barriers such as lack of access to work.”

Young people with additional needs face many challenges when considering their futures.

Pickersgill said: “When I started this job, I asked the young adults I work with what they wanted to do when they are older. When they said they didn’t know, I assumed it was because they hadn’t decided. That was my privilege as a young man — I always had options.

“Most of these young people have been told their whole lives they can’t do things, so many don’t even see themselves working. That’s what we want to change: give them an environment where they feel they can, not that they can’t.”

Since opening, the Cookie Bar has already offered work experience and apprenticeship opportunities to young people, serving around dozens of individuals a year and teaching important life and employability skills. Schools from as far afield as Woking have used the space, giving students a chance to flourish.

“People come not just for coffee and cookies, but because they know the café is making a social impact,” Pickersgill said.

The next phase will take this further. The space above the café will become an education hub, where students will learn front-of-house and cooking skills, work on horticulture skills, use an adjoining bike repair shop, and gain digital and entrepreneurial skills — all while reintegrating into the education system.

Noah House, a barista at the café, started on the work experience programme while studying at Undershaw, progressed to an apprenticeship, and has now been in full-time employment for six years. “I could have got a job elsewhere, but it would have been harder. Here, I’ve had the support to develop my skills. I want to become head of social marketing and run D&D groups in the evenings.”

Currently, nearly 1 million young people in the UK are NEET. Sullivan said: “We want schools to thrive and provide opportunities for every child — not shaped by privilege, but by purpose.”

Claire Cookson, CEO of Pathways Community Trust, added: “We are now looking to evolve the building at Royal Parade into our first alternative provision site for Pathways Community Trust, nurturing talent, building confidence, and developing the skills young people need for employment. This is about opening doors for some of the most marginalised members of our community, ensuring they are not only included but given the opportunity to thrive.”