An Inverurie charity is cooking up plans for a former children’s haven as it seeks to expand.
Fly Cup Catering has been teaching adults with learning difficulties how to whip up soups, sandwiches, hot meals and baked treats for more than 23 years.
The enterprise is presently based in the town’s Blackhall Industrial Estate, running a popular community café and a kitchen.
It offers disadvantaged people – including school leavers – crucial life skills, such as how to recycle, clean and work alongside professional staff.
And following a rise in demand, Fly Cup has now unveiled plans to expand with a new bakery and training centre.
What are Fly Cup’s proposals?
The charity has taken over the lease for the disused unit next door, which was once home to Becs Inclusive Soft Play Centre.
Bosses want to convert the former funhouse into another kitchen space with a designated bakery area for their trainees.
Documents say this would allow Fly Cup to take on 20 more recruits per day, as well as six additional staff members.
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What happened to Becs?
The soft play centre closed last September – just two years after it first opened at the Blackhall Industrial Estate.
Founder Rebecca Mennie, who had been working with children for nearly two decades, wanted to provide a safe space for youngsters with disabilities in Inverurie.
But the facility, which was run as a registered charity, was forced to shut after just six due to the pandemic.
This, as well as the prolonged restrictions on soft play centres, are believed to be the main reasons for its demise.
Miss Mennie recently took to social media, raising hopes Becs could soon reopen at a different location. However, she did not reveal where or when exactly.
You can read more about Fly Cup’s plans here.
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