Brewery that helps people with autism to hold fundraiser

A NEW brewery that aims to train people with additional needs and autism will be officially launched in Reading town centre later this month alongside a new beer.

Set up by Becky and John Whinnerah, and their autistic son Caleb, the brewery will be based at The Castle Tap on Castle Street.

The Count Me In Collective (CMIC) project has been inspired by their youngest daughter, who has very complex disabilities.

Now the family has drawn together a co-operative group of both disabled and non-disabled people to run the exciting venture, with a fundraising party night to launch it. The scheme will create training opportunities for those who need additional support, and it is hoped to create employment from it.

It is hoped that those taking part will gain relevant experience, and qualifications, so they can apply for jobs within the brewing and hospitality industry.

Said Becky: “Fewer than 22% of autistic adults are employed in the UK and that figure plummets to around 5% for those with learning disabilities. We are determined to break the mould.

”We hope to open the brewery in spring next year and we will train people in all aspects of brewing beer and running a brewery.

“But first, we need to fundraise so on Saturday, October 14, so we are launching a crowdfunder to start the process of making our long-held dream a reality.”

There will be a relaxed session from 4pm designed for people with additional needs, while the evening event starts at 7pm with live music, fundraising and a chance to meet the team.

To mark the occasion, Becky and John are teaming up with local award-winning brewery, Elusive Brewing, to create Stand Up and Be Counted, a zingy black IPA, which will also be launched on the same day.

It follows on from a previous event: CMIC already has its first collaborative brew day under its belt at its Finchampstead base, where managing director Ruth Mitchell says lessons have already been learned about implementing change in order to make the business more accessible.

“The brew day was a great experience for us, not only because the trainees had a great time but because we learnt so much about what we can do to make our business more inclusive. The trainees gave us some great feedback which we have taken on board and are using to make our taproom more accessible for all.”