This week, one of Birch Tree Café’s trustees, Tim Nicol, invited a couple of the DSQ team for a tour of the site to see the branding we designed in action and learn more about what has been going on behind the scenes.
Since getting involved with the charitable project in 2021, we’ve been working with the Birch Tree team to create their logo and branding materials. The final design, titled the ‘Lucky Leaf’, incorporates the three arrows inspired by the “Lucky Few” movement which was developed to symbolise Down’s Syndrome through the three copies of chromosome 21. Additionally, the arrows represent the rising and moving forward.
Senior creative, Mel Mcall said: “It’s been great to be involved in such an exciting project. Tim showed us all the hard work that has been going on behind the scenes, the attention to detail and all-round inspiring attitude from the young people who work there.”
Since opening on the 25th January 2022, Birch Tree Café has been providing a place for young people with Down’s Syndrome to socialise, work and develop valuable life skills to boost their confidence and improve their employability prospects for the future.
The idea to open the café was developed by the T-21 Charitable Organisation Group. The group includes parents and trustees from the Peterborough Area Down’s Syndrome Group who want to raise awareness about the lack of opportunities available for those with Down’s Syndrome, or similar learning disabilities in their lives. After formal education, only 6% of adults with learning disabilities known to their local authorities are in work. Birch Tree Café aims to change these numbers and provide a flexible workspace where young adults with Down’s Syndrome can choose the type of work they do and develop independence and workplace skills that they can take forward with them in the future.
If you’re ever near Easton on the Hill and fancy a coffee with a slice of homemade cake in a lovely community-based café, make sure to pay Birch Tree a visit!