New cafe Diego's aims to 'blow Sunderland away' while creating jobs for people with difficulties

Community Interest Company MediaSavvy submitted plans in February for office space at 27-28 Norfolk Street in Sunderland’s Sunniside Quarter.

As previously reported, proposals include converting the ground floor units into a cafe, with alterations to the shop front.

MediaSavvy, which is based at the site, hopes to use the cafe to help people make the step towards, or back into, employment.

Established in 2010 , the company provides training courses, workshops and drop-ins with a focus on hard-to-reach and marginalised groups.

Bosses say the cafe would be 80-90% staffed by volunteers and paid workers who have progressed through their courses.

Although sustainable employment would be available, the centre could function as a “stop-gap” to allow people to get on-the-job training and a formal reference.

The space would also provide a bespoke employment programme for people with mental health difficulties, those with a criminal conviction “on positive progression routes” and people with a learning disability and/or autism.

Managing director of MediaSavvy, Dan Makaveli, said the project aims to tackle the “employment gap” faced by many learners.

“We have nearly 10 years behind us building a successful social enterprise and the one consistent issue that has frustrated the team is the lack of opportunities available for many of the individuals we work with,” he said.

“It’s understandable that some employers are reluctant to take a chance on hiring people who might have large gaps on their CV or instances flagged on their DBS.

“However, we know that many employers would genuinely like to give such candidates a chance if the perceived risk was mitigated somewhat for them.

“We want to contribute to this by offering a diverse short-medium term opportunities and partnering with established local employers to create a working model which we hope will help directly address this employment gap faced by many of our learners.”

‘We guarantee there has been nothing like this in Sunderland before’

MediaSavvy’s ethos includes “uniting and empowering communities through creativity, innovation and education.”

The firm is currently fundraising to bring the cafe idea into reality and is aiming for a 2020 launch, subject to planning permission being granted.

Bosses hope that the shop will compliment the wider regeneration of Sunniside and “increase opportunities and access for local communities.”

A planning application for the cafe has been submitted to Sunderland City Council with a decision expected in early April.

Mr Makaveli added: “We intend to blow the public away with the style, vibe and menus.

“We guarantee that there has been nothing comparable to this in Sunderland before.”

MediaSavvy uses a range of informal and accredited courses and workshops, often utilising a 'learning by stealth' approach to most effectively reach out to people.

It focusses on “transferable softer life skills alongside core employability skills” to help people back into meaningful activities, such as volunteering, education, training or formal employment and self-employment.

For more information on the cafe plans, visit www.sunderland.gov.uk/online-applications and search planning reference: 19/02100/FUL