Plan Bee opened their doors on Monday, February 3, 2020.

The community coffee shop forms part of Apex charitable trust a charity which has served the community for more than 50 years.

Plan Bee coffee shop is a friendly and inviting place, the décor is relaxed and has a Bee theme running throughout.

There is a small seating area for people eating in, and once out of lockdown, they will resume their in-house service, however due to current guidelines it is currently takeaway only.

There is also an additional room called The Hive where training, workshops, meetings and a Women’s Hub take place.

All food sold at Plan Bee is made fresh on site by an in-house chef and the coffee beans are bought from a women’s co-operative in Honduras, one of the most dangerous places in the world for a woman to live.

Plan Bee coffee shop is also a vital resource for the community especially during lockdown. They have a Pay it Forward scheme which enables people who are experiencing financial difficulties to call in for a free drink and food.

They have also successfully secured funding from Torus Foundation to offer 250 ‘My Meals’ to people over the age of 60 who are struggling to get out of the house, and experiencing financial difficulties.

The ‘My Meals’ includes a main meal such as cottage pie, a dessert and a drink and is delivered free of charge.

The charity attached to the coffee shop run an online women’s hub delivering wellbeing courses such as Yoga, Art, Quizzes and mindfulness.

Plan Bee community Coffee Shop also run a 5-step program aimed at supporting people to overcome personal challenges, build confidence and secure paid employment.

Leanne Corkery, Business Development Manager at Apex Trust, said: “Sometimes life tests us and we are not equipped to deal with these challenges this can lead us to make poor choices and decisions. Too much energy is spent on judging people instead of trying to understand them.”

Apex Trust’s CEO – Kim Hughes added: “Without the financial support from our funders, we couldn’t have made an aspiration come true. Over the past twelve months we have worked hard to be where we are now, celebrating 1 year of opening our doors”.

To celebrate, Plan Bee will be selling Birthday Bee cupcakes for only 50p on Wednesday, February 3. The coffee shop is open Monday to Friday 9am-3pm and is on North Road, St Helens.

To donate to Apex Charitable Trust go to localgiving.org/apex-charitable-trust