AN Ilminster café seeks to transform the upstairs store into a “TGI Fridays-style” bar to become “financially independent” following an ongoing SEND funding dispute.
The owner of Gamesmaster café said it has been “struggling” and has had to “pull back” its educational services due to an ongoing Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) funding dispute with the Somerset Council, which the owner claims has left them over £60,000 out of pocket.
A different approach
To help alleviate the financial strain, owner Evelyn Ashford has decided to find new ways to keep the interns employed and the business afloat without Government funding.
One such way is to close the upstairs store Punkydory and reopen it as a TGI Friday's-inspired wine bar called 'Level Up', with live music and events to be hosted in the main café space.
In an interview with the Chard and Ilminster News, Evelyn Ashford said: “It’s not something anyone else is doing in this area.
“We are keeping up the family-friendly approach but also adding something we could open during evenings, where you could play family games for free, have a birthday party, have a nice glass of wine or a cider, and we could do themed cocktails as well.
“Everybody knows that retail isn’t going to be a long-term proposition, but entertainment is.
“We already do more stuff than we have to here, we always have, but maybe we can let ourselves off the hook a little bit and just be a good café and a wine bar.”
Another way Evelyn hopes to alleviate the strain is the gofundme campaign the café recently launched.
So far, they have raised £765, which Evelyn has thanked the public for and says is contributing towards helping the interns.
Similarly, Evelyn has said she has had “moderately better results from Access to Work” after "working tirelessly" to tackle and defend each intern’s case.
Evelyn said: “It’s been a lot of work, but I carry on.
“One at a time, I am tackling each of these kids’ cases and how we can fix them. It is very slow, but we are getting some help for some of them.
She added: “World domination didn’t quite happen as planned, but we have come a long way, and we are really grateful for what we have.
“We are so proud of what we have achieved with these young people. My team love what we are doing, and whether the Local Authority supports it or not, we have reached the conclusion that we will carry on regardless.”
Historical context
Gamesmaster café is part of Silver Lining Internships, which specialises in providing supported work experience for young adults with special educational needs who struggle to achieve independence.
The idea is that the café offers its interns paid employment and SEND support through work experience and personalised teaching.
Up until now, the café has run with support from Government funding from Access to Work and private funding from its owner to supplement the educational support.
However, recently the government has “significantly reduced” all Access to Work funding, and the owner can no longer afford to fund the additional educational support.
Similarly, Evelyn claims that Somerset Council has withdrawn from providing the supported education, which she says they are also entitled to.
Parents have asked the council to provide educational funding for their young adult children with SEN, but the Somerset Council SEN department ceased EHCP funding for multiple interns.
According to Evelyn, there has also been concern regarding a pattern of non-engagement and delayed responses.
Evelyn said: "I have had to pull back, not only because access to work has cut their funding but also because I can’t afford to keep funding the education side of things alone.
“If we had the EHCPs funding, we would be able to provide the educational support, including life-skills ‘Preparation for Adulthood’ that is needed to give these young people a real opportunity to reach independence.”
The mother of one of the interns added: “It’s so disgusting. These young people have been left to rot.”
The services the interns are requesting include a comprehensive programme entailing 15 hours of education (via EHCPs) in addition to the 15 hours of employed support funded by ‘Access to Work’.
However, due to the lack of funding, Evelyn said she has been restricted in what she can offer her current interns and has even had to turn away others.
She said: “I narrowly avoided selling property myself just to fund it and get out of debt.
“We are giving these kids as much support as we can, but the local authority is turning its back on them.”
A Somerset Council spokesperson said: “Silver Linings is an employer of young people – they do not provide supported internships. Because Silver Linings is not registered as an Alternative Provision (AP) provider with Somerset Council, the Council has no mechanism to fund the work they want to do. The Council cannot subsidise businesses to meet the costs of them employing staff. We do not have a remit to do so.
“We have communicated this situation clearly and repeatedly to Silver Linings over several weeks and months, by letter, email and through numerous in-person visits to the Ilminster venue including from the Lead Member for Children, Families and Education, Cllr Heather Shearer, local councillors, Somerset Council’s Executive Director for Children, Families and Education, and our senior service staff.
“The Council currently has more than 70 Alternative Providers successfully working within the guidelines. We are always open to new providers working with us and are keen to support providers to meet the necessary requirements and standards to be funded.
“Somerset Council wants all children and young people, no matter what their special educational needs or disability (SEND), to reach their full potential, receive the right support, and to succeed in their education as they move into adult life.
“We know the Government is currently looking at apprenticeships for under 22s, which would fit this cohort.”
READ MORE: Ilminster disability dispute as cafe struggles with funding
Protesting against the ‘devastating’ funding cuts
On May 29, at 10am, the Ilminster community rallied together to stand against the “devastating” cuts made to Access to Work.
“Our community [has shown] that we won’t let bureaucratic failures and denial of basic rights destroy these young people’s futures.”
Local families, disability advocates, councillors and other supporters gathered to highlight the impact of the funding cuts and demanded immediate action.
Ryan Moloney, a current intern, with ME and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at Silver Lining, whose funding has been cut, called the situation “cruel”.
He said: “I'm just angry. It’s not explosive rage, just a general simmering distaste."
Ryan’s father Andrew, who is based in Taunton, said: “It seems madness. People who are using this as a springboard to independence won’t have that and could be more of a ‘burden’ to the system.”
Ellie Lee, another current intern diagnosed with ADHD and autism, who is currently working on reduced hours due to funding cuts, said about the situation: “I am worried that when I no longer work here in the future, I won’t be able to work in the way that I need to because I get burnt out very easily from masking my struggles.
“I am very frustrated, and I am angry because it is like, why does society just leave people like us behind. We need these things in order to function in a world that isn’t built for us.”
Gemma Harvey, a parent of a current Silver Lining intern, added: “I really fear for young people with SEN with everything that is happening nationwide. I am quite in despair about what will happen for their futures without funding and support."
Adam Dance MP added: “I’m incredibly proud of the Ilminster community for coming together to stand up for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
“While I couldn’t attend the rally in person, I fully support Silver Linings and the vital work they do. These cuts cannot keep falling on the most vulnerable in our society — enough is enough.
"As both an MP and a Somerset councillor, I’ll continue working to make sure the voices of families and groups like Silver Linings are heard loud and clear at both Somerset Council and in Westminster.
“We need long-term solutions, not short-term squeezes, and I remain firmly committed to protecting SEND support in our county.”
READ MORE: Ilminster business protest after Somerset Council dispute
A recent meeting with the Local Authority
In a recent meeting held in June with the Somerset Council SEN department, Evelyn said it was the "same situation".
“I feel very much that we have been led up the garden path by the whole lot of them.
"They introduced me to a scheme called training 'boot-camp' which only appears to have served to support Somerset Local Authority's bid for Government funding, while they continued to ignore actually supporting the education of these young people.
“There is a lot of gaslighting going on, repeated delays and a lot of backtracking - which we have come to expect. Even though I had hopes of collaborating, I have given up now and feel that we are better off without them.
"I will continue to support parents in appeals and raising awareness in the media about this. As a community, we all recognise that there is a vulnerable group of young adults who are being systematically neglected and allowed to drift into social housing and a life dependent on benefits.
"With modest additional funding at a pivotal time, these individuals could receive the specialist educational support they desperately need to achieve independence and lead fulfilling lives. Instead, they are ignored by the system and too often end up struggling with mental health issues, isolated and unemployed—a tragic waste of human potential that could be prevented
She added: “I feel terribly let down by Somerset Council. It’s disgusting, it really is. It’s just shameful behaviour.
“I wish I could wave a magic wand. I would sort it all out myself.
“I feel terribly let down by them. It’s disgusting, it really is. It’s just shameful behaviour."
Levelling up: The future of Gamesmaster Cafe
She intends to start hosting themed events with food and live music, a Halloween party and a Christmas meal.
She said: “We are all very excited about these ideas and hope to be promoting some special events over the coming weeks.
“We have not asked for anything drastic regarding the timings. We won’t even start serving alcohol until 5pm at the earliest. We are a family venue and love the idea that we are an accessible and relaxed place for everyone
“We were thinking this might help us a bit more in terms of making us more of a party venue. There are lots of things we could do. I know it’s going to be fun.”
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