The Sartori Café, based on the top floor of Sartori Furnishings and Style, Bridge Street, Haverfordwest (close to Wilkos car park), is run by Pembrokeshire College. The team, including a rolling programme of students, are in their fifth year of raising much-needed funds for Paul Sartori.

Marianne Wardley, Paul Sartori Café advisor working for Pembrokeshire College, stated: “Pembrokeshire College are proudly celebrating working alongside Paul Sartori for five years this year which is a nice partnership for Pembrokeshire College - everything raised goes back to Paul Sartori and the students gain work experience and customer service skills.”

The Sartori Café supports everyone in the community, but fundamentally involves 16-18-year-olds (they have not reached their 19th birthday and do not possess five GCSE qualifications between A-C) who wish to gain experience and skills in hospitality, catering and customer service. This working environment offers the perfect solution for learners who are either not ready to start their course or need some time deciding what they would like to do next.

Marianne added: “We are always looking to add to our rolling programme of learners. To get a place on the programme, individuals must have received a referral from Careers Wales. This is a great programme for this age group which gives individuals a sense of self-worth and belief. Students will be required to contribute 21 hours per week, over 12 weeks.”

Another aim of the Sartori Café is to act as a community hub, and host get-togethers for small groups, including knit and natter (held on Tuesday’s between 10 and 11 am). The aim of this group is to knit a blanket which can be auctioned off, with the proceeds being donated to the foundation. Another group, Boreau Clonc a Choffi (held the third Tuesday in the month between 10.30 am and 12 noon) uses the Sartori Café as a base - this gives Welsh learners an opportunity to meet, have a coffee and chat in an informal setting.

Marianne is in the process of looking at other ideas to get the community together and asks visitors to look out for the board game morning where she hopes to include chess, Scrabble and dominoes.

“I feel the Sartori Café is a safe environment for vulnerable individuals to come for a chat and these activities will be a nice way to break the ice.”

The Paul Sartori Hospice at Home Service provides a range of services to people living in the final stages of a life-limiting illness, including home nursing care, equipment loan, complementary therapy, bereavement and counselling support, clinical nurse specialist in palliative care, physiotherapy, advance care planning and training.

The services provided by the Paul Sartori Hospice at Home Service enable people in the later stages of any life-limiting illness to be cared for at home with dignity, independence, pain free and surrounded by those they hold most dear.

For further information on the Sartori Café, please visit them at 44 Bridge Street, Haverfordwest - open Tuesday - Friday from 10 am - 2.30 pm. Information on Paul Sartori and its services can be obtained by visiting their website www.paulsartori.org, or by ’phoning 01437 763223.