The Crumbs Project

The Crumbs Project is the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) Disability Confident – Non-Profit Award Winner 2024! 💝 The RIDI Awards bring together leading changemakers in the recruitment sector to celebrate the very best of disability confident recruitment. We’re proud to advocate for the rights of those with disabilities to be treated as equally valuable employees and be independent in their lives. Over 50% of The Crumbs Project staff identify as disabled and we work to change perceptions and break down barriers to social inclusion. This award, sponsored by PageGroup, singles out The Crumbs Project for demonstrating top-level commitment to the Disability Confident scheme and efficacious implementation of the guidance across our workplace. The Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) judges recognised The Crumbs Project is an avid proponent, and expert in how the Disability Confident scheme can be used to recruit and retain great people. To learn more about our charity’s work in the hashtag #Hospitality sector and keep up to date, please visit our website and sign-up for our newsletter https://lnkd.in/eSdW_jxz #disabilityconfidentrecruitment #disabilityconfident #disabilitytraining #disabilityinclusionhttps #disabilityconfidentleader

Multi award-winning and Chartered Independent Financial Advisers prove they have a big heart for small charities in Dorset, not least The Crumbs Project. Strategic Solutions Financial Services set up their own Community Foundation which is committed to supporting financial education and wellbeing, and giving back to the communities where their business team work and live. The Foundation receives match funding from Strategic Solutions Financial Services for charitable donations made by their employees. They use this to provide targeted funding to small, grassroots groups that might otherwise struggle to source it. A huge 'THANK YOU' to the team Strategic Solutions Financial Services for the £300 donation towards the work of The Crumbs Project! Rachael Martin FPFS, Jordan Cruse, and Kevin Forbes FPFS Chartered MCSI IFA visited The Crumbs Project to meet staff and trainees and present a cheque to the team. Ursula Boardman, Head of Centre The Crumbs Project spoke about what this donation means: “As a small charity. We’re reliant upon the generosity of supporters to enable us to continue our work to help change the lives of disadvantaged adults in Dorset. What Strategic Solutions Financial Services have done to set up their own Community Foundation, engage their employees in making donations and getting involved with local charities like ours is to be admired.” Thank you Strategic Solutions Financial Services for the difference you have made to our small charity and to our community in #Dorset. #leadfromthefront #Smallcharities

Yes! 🤘 We're the ISPA UK Digital Inclusion for Charities & Communities Award Winner 2024 but we can't do this work alone... We're a small charity working hard to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged adults by providing #hospitality based training and development programmes. We strongly advocate for the rights of adults with #disabilities, #neurodivergences, #mentalhealthconditions, #stablisedaddictions, or #aquiredbraininjuries, who face numerous challenges in employment and social inclusion, to be treated as equally valuable employees and become more independent in their lives. This includes catalyzing their #digitalinclusion through person-centric #digitalskills training which can often be through small incremental steps which add up to making a big difference in their lives. We cannot do this alone and appeal to organisations and personal donors to help us to continue our work. Please visit our website to find out more about our disability training charity, and, if you can, make a donation. Every £ pound we receive goes directly towards providing training for vulnerable and disadvantaged adults. Thank you ISPA UK and Good Things Foundation for the recognition through the Best Digital Inclusion for Charities & Communities Award - you rock! 🤘 #Digitalawardwinner #Winner2024

This award and recognition means so much to our team. We cannot do this work alone and appeal to organisations and personal donors to help us to continue our mission. #disabilitytraining #digitalskills #digitalinclusion #disabilityconfidentleader #digitalawardwinner

According to Textkernel data from the Office for National Statistics, kitchen and catering assistants are the most demanded skill in #Bournemouth, #ChristchurchUK, and #Poole. Our talented Food Production & Service trainees demonstrated their own kitchen and catering skills and growing confidence by delivering a fabulous Thai-food themed Showcase Meal event The Crumbs Project’s training centre on the 8th November. Guests enjoyed an array of tasty fragrant dishes designed and prepared by trainees and staff team members. Thanks to the generosity of TWO Services Ltd., who kindly sponsored the costs of ingredients for this event, the ‘Dark Nights’ Showcase Meal menu included: Chilli garlic prawns, Tom Kha Gai (Thai coconut chicken soup), crispy tempura Asian mushrooms, Pad Thai noodles, Thai salmon fish cakes, Thai green vegetable curry, and for dessert Red Rubies salad, salted caramel mousse, along with mango and coconut pudding. Showcase Meal events are held quarterly by The Crumbs Project to provide Food Production & Service trainees with the opportunity to design, taste, and deliver al a carte meals to around 30 guests in the dining room of The Crumbs Project’s training centre. Trainees work both front-of-house and in the training kitchens to prepare and serve a wide variety of themed dishes. This experience not only builds confidence and capability for serving customers, but also enables trainees to progress their #InstituteofHospitality endorsed Food Production & Service training programmes and prepare for successful careers in the Hospitality industry. Feedback from guests at the Dark Knights event included: “It’s so wonderful to see the trainees doing so well in preparing these complex dishes and then getting out there serving guests”. “This meal was better than I’ve had in a restaurant”. “It was a truly remarkable experience. The event was a wonderful opportunity to witness the hard work, creativity, and skill of The CRUMBS Project trainees… every course was not only delicious but showcased the trainees' growing confidence and abilities in the Hospitality industry.” “Showcase Meals are the best-kept secret dining experience in Bournemouth!” If you would like to talk to us about opportunities for our trainees to work as your kitchen and catering assistants you can get in touch with us via info@crumbs.org.uk or call 01202 519320. Or alternatively if you would like to join The Crumbs Project as a guest at a fabulous Showcase Meal event upcoming in 2025, please contact us for more information! 📧 info@crumbs.org.uk Wednesday 26th March 2025 Thursday 3rd July 2025 Tuesday 21st October 2025 Friday 12th December 2025 #ShowcaseMeal #Disabilityconfidence #Hospitalitytraining #Dorset  #kitchenassistant #catering #hospitalityskills #foodproductionandservice #textkernel

It’s official - Ursula Boardman is a #HospitalityHero2024! We’re so proud our Head of Centre, Ursula Boardman has been recognised by the #Hospitality industry in receiving the The Staff Canteen Awards 2024 Hospitality Hero Award sponsored by RATIONAL AG. Ursula was crowned Hospitality Hero for her work in helping adults with disabilities and neurodivergences to defy the odds and gain employment in the hospitality industry. "Our ultimate aim is to break down barriers in the hospitality industry to employ more people with disabilities as they are a great source of workforce". Our congratulations to all Winners: Chef of the Year: Tom Aikens, chef patron, Muse by Tom Aikens. One to Watch: Stevie Higginson, chef owner, Square Bistro, Lisburn. FOH Team of the Year: Laura Siddle and team, Faru, Durham. Sustainable Business: @Tom Heywood and team, @Pignut, Helmsley. KP of the Year: Lee Mullen, kitchen porter, Moss & Moor, Ilkley. Social Media Influencer: Craig Miles, development chef, Bidfood UK Member of the Year: Jack Bond, head chef, Cottage in the Wood, Keswick Hospitality Hero: Ursula Boardman, Head of Centre, The Crumbs Project Project, Bournemouth. To learn more about the work of The Crumbs Project, visit our website to sign up for news. https://lnkd.in/ep9gbNGK https://lnkd.in/eNsu4f63   #hospitalitytraining #hospitalitycharity #disabilitytraining #disabilityconfident #hospitalityhero 

Thank you to the judges of the DMB Tourism Awards who recognised the work of our charity in awarding us the Industry Support Award 2024! 🙌 This recognition wouldn't be possible without the award sponsors morebus official and Bournemouth Chamber of Trade & Commerce. We were honored to be amongst a finalist group with the brilliant Marsham Court Hotel, Event Temps and FJB Hotels who all work so hard to promote #hospitality in #Dorset. 👏 Visit the Latest News page of our website and sign up for updates about our charity's work to help change the lives of disadvantaged adults through #hospitality-based training and development programmes. https://lnkd.in/ep9gbNGK #disabilitytraining #Bournemouth #ChristchurchUK #Poole #disabilityconfidentleader

Let us know your favourite snack time and why? It is always said that people rush for a snack mid-afternoon to give them a sugar rush to complete the day. Results from our recent snack survey shows that actually it’s the morning that is the most popular snacking time, is this a result of missing breakfast? Let us know your favourite snack time and why? Here at The Crumbs Project, former trainee Martin can deliver a very special SnakPak box to businesses local to #Bournemouth, #ChristchurchUK, and #Poole free of charge, once a fortnight. This will be full of tasty goodies and popular snacks to help you get through the day. All of the money raised through SnakPak goes to support the vital hospitality-based training we provide for adults with physical, learning, and social needs. Please support these amazing individuals by ordering your SnakPak box today – message us for more details. #disabilitytraining #Dorset #Snacks

“Employers need to be aware some people need more support, time, and opportunity to learn about the workplace and prove their abilities.“ The Crumbs Project’s mission is to empower disadvantaged adults through Hospitality-based training and development, guiding them towards better employment prospects and more independent living. We work with employers across #Dorset to find opportunities for trainees to work and gain the employment experience they need to fully demonstrate their skills and potential. Working closely with fellow Dorset charity The Parks Foundation, The Crumbs Project's trainees provide vital staff resources for three of the Foundation’s community cafes in at Redhill Park and Winton Recreation Park in #Bournemouth, and Alexandra Park in #Poole. At the Redhill Park café, current and former trainees from The Crumbs Project make up around a quarter of the volunteers the café needs to open to the public 7 days a week. Rachelle Lawley, The Parks Foundation's Redhill Park Café Manager, spoke about the difference trainees from The Crumbs Project make to the café; “The volunteers coming from The Crumbs Project have a head start as they’re already aware of what the café needs. They have food knowledge, know about correct hygiene practices and protocols, and have experience preparing and serving food and drinks to customers.” Carole Carter, Manager of The Parks Foundation’s thriving Winton Recreation Ground Café, where current and former trainees from The Crumbs Project make up over a third of the workforce, spoke about the importance of seeing the abilities of disadvantaged adults; “Employers need to be aware some people need more support, time, and opportunity to learn about the workplace and prove their abilities. By creating a community and involving the volunteers in the running of the café we’re creating an environment which is more inclusive and accepting of others but most of all we’re able to give people a chance and an opportunity to thrive.” To learn more about how The Crumbs Project and The Parks Foundation charities collaborate to provide opportunities for adults with disabilities to work in #Dorset, please visit the Latest News page of our website: https://lnkd.in/ep9gbNGK #Bournemouth #ChristchurchUK #Poole #ParkCafe #Voluntarywork #Disabilitytraining #Disabilitywork #Disabilityconfidence #TheParksFoundation #Disabilityemployment #Dorsetvolunteers #Dorsetcharity #Dorsethospitality #Hospitalitytraining #Hospitalitywork

We’ve had the pleasure of welcoming Irina from Lewco Holdings to The Crumbs Project training centre. Irina has spent the day working in our training kitchen and bakery alongside trainees and staff to learn more about how The Crumbs Project supports people with disabilities. Like The Crumbs Project, Lewco Holdings is a #DisabilityConfidentLeader working to promote the rights of those with disabilities to gain meaningful and fulfilling employment. Irina said: “I’ve really enjoyed spending time at The Crumbs Project’s training kitchens. Although it is a very different environment to the McDonald's franchises I work in, I’ve been able to spend time with The Crumbs Project staff team discussing the importance of getting to know team members individually and adapting communication styles to create a comfortable and effective working environment. It’s been such a great experience for me both personally and professionally.” To stay up to date with news from The Crumbs Project, visit the Latest News page of our website and sign up to receive updates: https://lnkd.in/ep9gbNGK #disabilityconfident #workingtogether #disabilitytraining #Dorset