Cultivating Community CIC is a social enterprise dedicated to addressing loneliness, isolation, and inequality through nature-based activities, inclusive employment, and community-led programmes. During the financial year, the company focused its operations around Victoria Park Community Cafe in Frome, Somerset, which serves as its primary delivery hub for social impact. Overview of Activities The cafe operated seasonally from early spring through late autumn and functioned as both a trading business and a platform for community wellbeing. The core activities delivered during the year included: Operating a not-for-profit community cafe 7 days a week Delivering inclusive, volunteer-supported work skills training Hosting intergenerational arts and wellbeing activities Partnering with local schools, health services, and voluntary sector organisations Providing informal community support and reducing social isolation Supporting environmental sustainability through food waste reduction and use of local produce The cafe's mission is not just to serve food and drink, but to foster social connection, routine, and a sense of belonging, especially among those who are most vulnerable or excluded. Employment, Volunteering and Work Skills Development One of the most significant outcomes of the cafe has been its development as a supportive pathway into skills, confidence, education and employment for people who may struggle to access conventional work environments. During 2025, Cultivating Community continued to work with local specialist education providers, including Critchill School and Newbury Manor, providing structured work placements for young people with additional needs. Alongside these placements, the cafe provided informal training, supervision and supported volunteering for people with learning disabilities, long-term health conditions, mental health challenges and those not in employment, education or training (NEET). The focus has been on creating real work experience in a functioning public cafe, with participants gradually taking on tasks such as customer service, food preparation, cleaning, stock management and working as part of a team. Three students from Newbury Manor progressed sufficiently during their placements to achieve their food hygiene qualifications, giving them a recognised certification alongside their practical experience. The cafe also continued to demonstrate how supported volunteering can provide a bridge into employment. One volunteer with learning challenges, who had built his confidence and work skills through regular volunteering at the cafe, subsequently progressed into an apprenticeship. This was a particularly important outcome for Cultivating Community, demonstrating that a flexible and supportive first step into work can lead to more formal employment and training opportunities. During the year, the cafe also provided sustained support to two young people experiencing significant mental health challenges. For one young person who was at risk of disengaging from education altogether, their involvement with the cafe provided a positive and manageable connection with the world of work and helped them remain engaged with school for longer. For another young person experiencing periods of hospital admission, the cafe became a familiar and safe place to return to between admissions, providing routine, social connection and a sense of purpose at a particularly difficult time. Another example of progression through the cafe has been a volunteer who moved into paid employment with Cultivating Community and has since taken increasing responsibility for developing and delivering activities. During 2025, they received training in community cinema and we secured funding to run a series of screenings through the 2026 season. This progression demonstrates how the cafe's supported volunteering model can do more than prepare people for existing jobs. It can give individuals the confidence, skills and opportunity to develop their own ideas, take leadership and create new activities that benefit the wider community. These experiences have reinforced Cultivating Community's understanding that progression does not always follow a conventional or linear route. For some people, success may mean gaining a qualification or moving into employment. For others, it may mean attending regularly, rebuilding confidence, maintaining engagement with education or having somewhere safe and purposeful to belong. The cafe's person-centred approach allows people to participate at a level appropriate to them and to increase their responsibilities as their confidence and abilities develop. Community Engagement and Inclusion Throughout 2025, Victoria Park Community Cafe continued to develop as much more than a cafe. It provided an accessible and informal community space where people could meet, take part in activities, volunteer, develop skills or simply spend time around other people. The cafe supported an estimated 42,000 meaningful social interactions, many through repeat visits from local residents who came to see the cafe as a safe, informal and welcoming place to spend time. This was particularly valuable for people experiencing loneliness or isolation, families, older people, young people, and people with learning disabilities or mental health challenges. Our social impact monitoring recorded 1,924 participations and 1,653 hours of participation in organised activities during the year. These activities were supported by 79 volunteer involvements contributing 1,936 volunteer hours, with an estimated equivalent value of GBP 23,638.56. This is in addition to the thousands of everyday interactions that take place through the normal operation of the cafe. Activities ranged from small, regular sessions to large community events. Weekly Chair Yoga attracted 117 attendances during the year, providing accessible exercise for people with some mobility restrictions in the sheltered green environment of the park. Feedback described not only increased activity but the importance of being part of a friendly group and the cafe being a welcoming place. The cafe also provided opportunities specifically designed to bring people together. Canteen in the Park attracted 220 people for an affordable community meal, while a community supper evening brought together a further 39 people for affordable food and live music. A Rock Choir event attracted around 60 people, while family activities included an Easter holiday programme and a Disney-themed event incorporating crafts, games, a quiz and disco. Our developing outdoor cinema programme also demonstrated how the park and cafe can be used differently. Screenings included the environmentally focused David Attenborough: Ocean, alongside family entertainment such as How to Train Your Dragon. The latter attracted 38 people, with feedback particularly highlighting the atmosphere created by transforming the outdoor space into a cinema and providing food and popcorn alongside the film. We continued to make the cafe and surrounding park particularly accessible to people with additional needs. We hosted POD Plus, providing adults with additional needs with an evening of outdoor social and physical activities, and two POD Youth sessions for younger people. Feedback highlighted the value of having the freedom to use the park's green space while also having the cafe open as a welcoming base. One of the year's largest community activities was our Christmas Day Social, attended by 1,060 people. The cafe opened from 8am to 12.30pm, with free drinks, nibbles and carol singing provided as a thank you to cafe customers and people using the park. Eleven volunteers contributed 55 hours to making the event possible. Feedback described the atmosphere on the day as particularly special. Importantly, community benefit was not limited to organised events. During the year we recorded 260 instances of additional support, representing approximately 126 participant hours. This included providing pay-it-forward food and drinks, access to toilets and a safe and welcoming place for vulnerable people using the park, as well as signposting or involving other services where concerns were identified, including two homeless incidents involving vulnerable adults. Cafe staff were involved in several antisocial and police interventions in the park, helping to make it a safer space for all. Economic and Social Impact Cultivating Community CIC continued to demonstrate that a small, community-based social enterprise can generate both economic and social value through its everyday trading activity. Cafe trading remained the organisation's primary source of income in 2025, accounting for approximately 61% of total income. Sales continued to outperform previous years during comparable months, although the seasonal nature of an outdoor park cafe remains a significant challenge, with income

Our stakeholders consist of: Frome Town Council: We hold six-monthly feedback meetings with Frome Town Council and provide our accounts and outcome report on an annual basis. This may include engagement with our local PCSOs regarding crime prevention. Community groups: We have regular meetings with local community groups that we partner with, particularly the three schools that we work with. General public: We conduct an annual survey at the end of the season to gather feedback from the general public. Volunteers and staff: We have both formal and informal mechanisms in place for staff and volunteers to provide feedback.

Caroline Blake received GBP 16,120.00 in wages (net) as Director of Operations for the Cafe Samantha Evans received GBP 10,863.65 in wages (net) as Managing Director

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