FOR many it is a platform to employment.

Launched 25 years ago and christened after the cellar in which it was formed in the depths of a Victorian terraced house, The Cellar Trust has been supporting people with moderate to severe mental health problems in their journey to recovery ever since.

The cafe/catering academy is among a range of initiatives the Shipley-based organisation operates which is helping to equip people with skills they could use to eventually return to employment.

Testimony to the cafe's importance within the local community, its future has been secured, for now, with generous donations from local organisations including The Gannett Foundation, the charitable arm of the Telegraph & Argus' parent company Newsquest; the Morrisons Foundation, twentysix digital; Bradford-based contract furniture maker Knightsbridge Furniture, Barchester's Charitable Foundation, Sir George Martin Trust, the Leeds Building Society Charitable Foundation and the Lloyds Foundation.

"The cafe is not just a cafe, it is our catering academy and it is one of the areas where we are creating opportunities for our clients to build confidence and develop new skills and, of course, even in times where there is a challenging employment market in Bradford there are still jobs in catering so it is important for us to offer that to our clients," explains The Cellar Trust's chief executive, Kim Shutler-Jones.

Similarly to many charities and organisations who are feeling the pinch in the tough financial climate, The Cellar Trust relies on donations and while they don't generate a profit from the cafe, the money they do raise can be ploughed back into the project which means more people will benefit.

Working in partnership with Shipley College, clients can undertake catering qualifications and, hopefully, progress into paid employment.

She says without statutory funding they have to make their skill shops self-sustaining. "We never made a profit in our cafe and we are not making it a profitable venture because it has to be a supportive training environment but we needed it to stay open," says Kim.

She explains the funding from their generous supporters have enabled them to refurbish the cafe as well as invest in new kitchen equipment and re-develop their menu.

"We also have a lovely new brand for The Cellar Trust as a whole," says Kim.

She says they hope to enhance the experience for customers as well as raise the cafe's profile so more people are aware it is there and will support it.

Kim explains being out of work for long periods of time can be a disempowering and even a debilitating experience.

She says it can take people time to build up their confidence and learn new skills, but through initiatives such as the cafe/catering academy it can prepare them for a culinary career, if they wish to pursue that path, or it can equip them with transferable skills they could use in an alternative profession.

"What we find in the main is the transferable skills they gain means they are a lot more employable in lots of different types of roles," explains Kim.

She talks of one man who, through his experience working in the cafe, found his niche supporting others in a role working with an organisation dealing with people with mental health issues.

To acknowledge the support the organisation and its clients have received from local businesses and funders, and to celebrate its success, the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Joanne Dodds, as well as senior stakeholders from throughout the district attended the cafe's re-launch event.

Thanking their supporters for the grants and donations, Kim says their ever-increasing waiting list of clients wanting to use the service is indicative of the demand for their services.

"We have a massive waiting list for our services that is almost as big as the number of people we can work with," she explains.

"It just shows the level of of need and demand across the district is really really high."

But, through initiatives such as the cafe/catering academy, it is also seeing the benefits its services are bringing to clients. "It is absolutely amazing when you see the difference in them when they come through the door to when they leave," says Kim, who is now appealing to the local community to support them by visiting the cafe and helping to secure its future.

One client, who wishes to remain anonymous, says: "Before I came here I had nothing at all. It is something to get up for. I come here and it is wonderful."

For more information about The Cellar Trust call 01274 586474 or email thecellartrust.org.