Young woman stands behind a till and smiles. She is wearing a black uniform with an apron, glasses and has her hair tied back

Leah’s Story

11/02/2026
Being Seen and Accepted Leads to Confidence, Learning and Ambition. A year ago, I moved to Dumfries & Galloway due to family circumstances and found myself unable to get a job. I left behind my home, familiar environments, friends, routines...
Our Journey
Young Man is smiling and speaking into a microphone, He has short dark hair

Harry’s Story

11/02/2026
When the spark of inspiration meets the fuel of possibility. My name is Harry and I work at The Usual Place as an Information Intern. However, I began here as a trainee in the Cafe’s Front of House team. Before...
Our Journey
A volunteer with brown hair standing to the left of the photo wearing The Usual Place uniform. Standing next to him is a mentor with glasses who is also wearing The Usual Place uniform. They are looking at the welcome station's till screen, concentrated on putting the customer's order into the system.

Aaron Doing Well At The Welcome Station

04/02/2026
Aaron took lots of customer orders and payments at the till earlier this week – as well as making customers feel welcome, this requires clear communication and listening. Aaron ensures each customer request is understood and relayed to our kitchen...
Our Journey
A volunteer is looking down at a clipboard. He is holding a pen and is ticking off items on the clipboard. A mentor stands in front of him. She is watching as the volunteer signs the checklist.

Ross has had a busy day in the Front of House!

26/01/2026
Ross, who is on our Young People’s Hospitality Training Programme, has been working with Mentor, Tina, on the busy Drinks and Cakes station in the café. Here, they are checking the drinks orders, as well as preparing and delivering them...
Our Journey