New pub to train young people with disabilities

The North Star is located next to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton

A new pub designed to prepare young people with learning disabilities or autism for employment is opening in the centre of Brighton.

All profits from The North Star, on Pavilion Parade, will go towards funding Team Domenica, a Brighton-based charity which has been helping this group gain work skills since 2016.

The venue will be opened later by Baroness Rosa Monckton MBE, who created the charity in honour of daughter, Domenica, who has Down's syndrome.

She said: "What better place for young people with learning disabilities to be visible, valued, and celebrated as part of their community?"

All profits from The North Star will go directly towards funding Team Domenica

Team Domenica is also creating a dedicated centre above the pub which will combine classroom education, enrichment activities, and real-world hospitality experience.

The charity said the pub was a continuation of its model which has resulted in 80% of its young trainees progressing into employment, and 86% remaining in paid work for more than two years.

Lady Monckton said: "We want future employers to see our candidates in this environment and open their minds and doors to opportunity.

"Best of all, the wider world will see young people with learning disabilities and autism showcasing their talents in a professional setting."

The charity said it hoped the pub would become a "beacon of light and hope" for people with learning disabilities

The venture has been supported by Team Domenica trustee Gavin George, also a co-founder and former chief executive of The Laine Pub Company.

He said the new trainees would begin in the new year "once our core hospitality team have had chance to bed in".

Domenica, who joined the charity's first cohort nine years ago alongside 19 other young people, has worked at The Grand Brighton Hotel and The Pavilion Gardens Cafe since graduating.

Her mother, Lady Monckton, hopes The North Star will offer a similar pathway to others.

She said: "Our vision is for The North Star to become a staple for the people of Brighton & Hove, but more than that, it will be a beacon of light and hope for the 1.3 million people with learning disabilities in the UK - and their families."

Celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, Domenica's aunt, will be among those attending the official launch party in December.

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