“Working here has made me more confident, and given me independence”

Taking care of people as well as business. Our social businesses help people to realise their potential.

We work with people with disabilities and/or disadvantages to provide work experience, training, skills development and employment.

RF WORKS – How does it work?

WORK:

At RF WORKS sites you can gain real experience in a range of supportive settings from retail to catering.

SKILLS:

You will learn new skills for work and life, such as teamwork, social skills and building confidence.

St Lawrence Café

Our friendly café in Suffolk, provides real jobs in a cafe setting, based on an individual’s abilities. Start at a level right for you, build confidence to gain new skills.

THINGS YOU CAN DO:

  • Cooking
  • Waiting
  • Washing up
  • Operate the till
  • Meet and greet
  • Make drinks
  • Clearing tables
  • Preparing food
  • Barista training
  • Sandwich round

OPENING TIMES:

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

09:30 – 15:00

09:30 – 15:00

09:30 – 15:00

09:30 – 15:00

09:30 – 15:00

09:30 – 15:00

CLOSED

St Lawrence Café, Dial Lane, Ipswich, IP1 1DJ
Tel: 01473 225267
Email: RFWorks@realisefutures.org
Location: Google Maps
Social Media: Facebook Page

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Keeping ‘social’ in our communities

If it’s coffee and a cake – and a welcome break from shopping – that you’d prefer, you can find a very warm and friendly welcome in our café run by Realise Futures in Ipswich.

Our café is in truly unique venue. The historic St Lawrence Cafe has incredible acoustics and the country’s oldest working church bells – this venue can cater for every need.

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Fulfilment
Bury St Edmunds: 01284 749030
Melton: 01394 389599
Ipswich: 01473 242500
Email: RFWorks@realisefutures.org

Fulfilment

We get it packed, wrapped and dispatched – offering people a variety of jobs to suit their abilities, including folding, counting, assembling cartons and labelling , with easy to follow guides.

THINGS YOU CAN DO:

  • Packing
  • Folding
  • Counting
  • Assembling cartons
  • Labelling
  • Teamwork
  • Stock-take
  • Heat sealing
  • Blister packing
  • Shrink wrapping
  • Hand packing
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It works for you

Companies use our fulfilment services because of the quality and delivery of the service and price – and because they appreciate and understand the social impact of placing the business with a social enterprise where they are helping their local community.

We pack and wrap thousands of items for major high street brands as well as local companies, and we handle a large range of different products from plastic dog bones which are shipped all over the world to cosmetics that are sold in shops throughout the UK.

Call us today on 01473 242500 or simply contact us and someone will be in touch.

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Eco Furniture

Making plastic fantastic – turning plastic into furniture, from benches to pirate ships. Gain new skills within a team environment, from measuring to cutting and drilling, to creating furniture fit for customer use.

THINGS YOU CAN DO:

  • Measure and identify materials
  • Cutting and drilling
  • Understand manufacturer drawings
  • Use hand tools
  • Sales
  • Customer service
  • Administration

Eco Furniture, Ipswich
Tel: 01473 242500
Email: RFWorks@realisefutures.org
Website: realisefuturesecofurniture.co.uk
Social Media: Facebook Page

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We make 100% recycled plastic outdoor furniture and play equipment that is long lasting, splinter free, weather proof, and graffiti proof and anti-theft proof.

We will work with you from concept right through to design, manufacture and installation.

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Growing Places, Claydon
Tel: 01473 831224
Email: RFWorks@realisefutures.org
Website: realisefutures.org/growing-places
Location: Google Maps
Social Media: Facebook Page

Growing Places

Discover the benefits of gardening and working in horticulture. Learn about nature, growing and gain social skills from teamwork. Support us by ordering your veg box and more here. 

Things you can do:

  • Sowing, planting and harvesting
  • Digging and site maintenance
  • Weeding and watering
  • Packing produce and deliveries
  • Woodwork, willow weaving and craft
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At Growing Places, every activity provides purpose and an opportunity to develop. Our team grow produce all year round, get creative with scrap wood and locally harvested willow, and tackle all the other jobs needed to run our 2-acre site.

Complemented by our homegrown produce, our Box of Veg service offers weekly fruit and vegetable deliveries across the Ipswich and Stowmarket areas, connecting the team to the local community.

Ordering your veg box is easy, take a look at our main page to find out more.

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Nowton Park Nursery

Discover the benefits of gardening and improved wellbeing at Nowton Park Nursery. Situated in the Victorian walled garden within Nowton Park, Bury St. Edmunds, here we grow a wide range of plants and run a small-scale fulfilment area.

Things you can do:

  • Sowing seeds
  • Site maintenance – weeding, mowing, rotavating
  • Trimming and deadheading plants
  • Selling plants
  • Cooking sessions
  • Counting, labelling, weighing and packaging
  • Working within a team

Nowton Park Nursery, Bury St Edmunds
Tel: 01284 749030
Email: nowtonparknursery@realisefutures.org
Location: Google Maps
Social Media: Facebook Page

At Nowton Park Nursery, we grow a colourful array of plants to buy, including perennials, seasonal basket plants and hanging baskets to brighten up any garden. Look out for our seasonal trailer by The Grounds Café in Nowton Park.

We also provide a small-scale fulfilment area where team members sort and package items for local businesses. We pride ourselves on high quality at Nowton Park Nursery by working as a team and offering our team members a variety of jobs dependent on their abilities. 

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Poppy’s Pantry, Melton
Tel: 01394 389599
Email: RFWorks@realisefutures.org
Web: Poppy’s Pantry Online Shop, Melton
Location: Google Maps
Social Media: Facebook Page

OPENING TIMES:

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

09:30 – 16:30

09:30 – 16:30

09:30 – 16:30

09:30 – 16:30

09:30 – 17:30

09:30 – 16:00

CLOSED

Poppy’s Pantry, Wymondham
Tel: 01953 439020
Email: poppyspantrynorfolk@realisefutures.org
Web: Poppy’s Pantry Norfolk
Location: Google Maps
Social Media: Facebook Page

OPENING TIMES:

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

09:30 – 16:30

09:30 – 16:30

09:30 – 16:30

09:30 – 16:30

09:30 – 17:30

CLOSED

CLOSED

Poppy’s Pantry

More than just a shop

Visit our click and collect online shop based at Melton: www.poppyspantryshop.co.uk

Offering a whole range of work based opportunities in a friendly and supportive retail environment.

THINGS YOU CAN DO:

  • Work in the shop
  • Cooking
  • Packing/labelling
  • Prepare snack boxes
  • Cleaning
  • Delivery
  • Re-stock shelves
  • Teamwork
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Local and wholefoods shop

We offer vegetarian and vegan produce, as well as gluten-free, wheat-free and dairy-free products. We sell healthy snacks, nuts, seeds and dried fruit, as well as local fruit and vegetables and free range eggs.

Helping the environment, we sell eco-friendly household products.

Every Tuesday, we run a pop-up community coffee shop in St Mary’s Church Centre, Woodbridge. Selling hot and cold drinks, delicious homemade cakes and light lunches, the cafe is the ideal place to get together and meet other people in the community.

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