Daniel: Overcoming challenges at Lily&Lime

Daniel joined Lily&Lime after recognising that he was stuck in a toxic environment at college. Daniel was not getting the support he needed in order to thrive, which was leading to poor self esteem, and not feeling like his best self. He often felt he had to hide who he truly was due to his learning disability.

Visiting Lily&Lime was when things changed for Daniel. He immediately recognised that this was a place where he could thrive, and he has done so.

Since starting at Lily&Lime, Daniel has learned so much, from interacting with the public, to being on the till, even implementing his own system to keep track of orders. He has started learning how to make drinks using the barista coffee machine, and is eager to help with food prep.

Daniel often takes charge of the café, making sure orders are going out, and asking other members of staff for help when he needs it. His energy is infectious when he is in the café, with his awful ‘dad jokes’ and puns, customers love him and give great feedback on his performance.

Daniel’s family has expressed their gratitude, saying that Daniel is almost like meeting a new person – Daniel’s real self has the space to come out! Daniel’s confidence and self esteem has grown, and is learning new skills everyday. He even has the confidence to talk to challenging customers and support his peers in difficult situations.

Most recently Daniel has expressed an interest to start travel training so that he is able to get the train by himself. Im 2021 it was reported that people with learning disabilities made 28% fewer trips than people without learning disabilities, leading to dependence on friends, family or support in order to travel somewhere. This is a big step for Daniel, especially in comparison to who he was when he first started at Lily&Lime.

Daniel is now thriving. He regularly goes out with his friends, and his confidence extends past Lily&Lime. He has friends from Lily&Lime and chats through social media to arrange meet ups. He can’t wait to attend more social events in the future.

Support people like Daniel to live their life in the way they choose by donating to the Big Give 2023 from 28 November.