Inspired Community Enterprise Trust was set up in 2011 in response to the voices of young people at the first Youth Matters Conference in Dumfries.  ICET has a vision of bridging the gaps in citizenship and employability opportunities for young people with additional support needs. The Usual Place Cafe is the vehicle for our work and its doors first opened in August 2015.

Its mission is to offer a real transitional path onwards from school for 14-26 year olds with additional support needs, focusing on the innate talents and capabilities of these young people, empowering them to flourish.

We are unique in providing solutions across the range of challenges including employability, vocational training, mental health issues, education and social issues; we challenge the established stereotype of young people with learning disabilities.

Our three underpinning values are:

• Everyone is of equal worth
• Everyone can contribute to the community
• Everyone should be treated with dignity and respect

Providing a financially sustainable model to underpin this mission has been challenging and we are constantly seeking new ways to generate income and funding to continue to deliver the great work we do in the community of Dumfries. In 2020, we applied for Charitable status as a means to accessing more opportunities for funding and to afford our organisation the status it has attained since its inception.

Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney MSP, has always been interested in the work we do, acknowledging our successes and providing his support in any way he can. He recently visited The Usual Place in April 2025 to meet the staff, young people and Trustees to underpin his interest and explore ways in which we can achieve the financial stability we so keenly desire.

Trustees of the Board are director members of ICET whose liability is limited to a maximum of £1. This post is not remunerated, the contribution to ICET is voluntary. The maximum number of Trustees is 9 and minimum is 5. Of the current Trustees (of which there are 6), we have all been on the Board generally since its inception with one exception. We all come from diverse backgrounds including finance, HR, social care, care experienced and administration. The majority of Trustees are based in Dumfries and Galloway, however we do have one of our group who lives outside of the area and joins us remotely with occasional in person attendance.

We are very committed to the work of ICET and welcome the opportunity to bring more talented and knowledgeable people to our group.