Change Please is a social enterprise that provides barista training and jobs paying the London Living Wage, to support people experiencing homelessness. With multiple coffee shops and carts across the UK currently closed, the trained baristas from Change Please alongside volunteer baristas have been reassigned to hospital sites. The baristas and coffee served at the Nightingale Hospital in London are being funded by WeWork and Chivas.
Change Please won the global social enterprise competition Chivas Venture in 2018, securing $350K in no-strings funding to help grow the business into what it is today. Chivas has provided further funding to cover a week of operations and ensure they can continue their vital work during this unprecedented time. Change Please are ensuring that all baristas follow social distancing guidelines and are also provided with personal protective equipment.
“When we started Change Please back in 2015, our goal was to help vulnerable members of society get back on track with meaningful employment and skills training, while providing high-quality coffee. We are so pleased to be able to support the NHS Nightingale Hospital in London during this difficult time. We hope our coffee gives staff welcome respite and refreshment as a small gesture to thank them for their incredible efforts in saving lives.” - Founder of Change Please, Cemal Ezal
There are plans to expand the Change Please ‘Coffee for NHS Heroes’ campaign to more NHS hospitals across the UK.
“It’s wonderful for our staff to be able to enjoy a great cup of coffee, courtesy of Change Please, as they start or finish their daily shift at NHS Nightingale, London. This selfless act of kindness and support is a humbling reminder to us all of the efforts being made across all sectors of the community to support the NHS at this challenging time. On behalf of everyone at NHS Nightingale, our heartfelt thanks.” - Natalie Forrest, Chief Operating Officer, NHS Nightingale
WeWork has partnered with Change Please in the UK since March 2019 with its baristas serving coffee to members in WeWork’s London locations and around the UK.
“We’re really proud to support Change Please and its efforts to provide great coffee for deserving NHS staff at the London Nightingale Hospital.” - Mathieu Proust, General Manager for WeWork UK and Ireland
