LIVERPOOL, UK – A Liverpool coffee company has been given a prestigious award for making their barista academy accessible to everyone: Husband and wife team , who own and run Parliament Square Coffee have been presented with the , the UK’s leading education provider for children and young people with special educational needs.

The award recognises those who have created opportunities and experiences to ‘encourage and inspire aspirational futures’ for young people with a wide range of special educational needs, and cultivated workplace environments that celebrate neurodiversity.

Chris & Hayley founded Parliament Square Coffee in the Baltic Triangle in June 2023. The sleek Crump Street venue offers carefully selected and roasted speciality coffee served by highly qualified baristas together with a seasonal fresh brunch menu, curated by former chef Chris.

The pair launched a second site providing quality coffee with daily-prepared ‘grab-and-go’ food in Clarence Street in the Georgian Quarter last year – and it is there they decided to establish their own PSC Academy.

offers specialist barista training for 15-18 year olds — although there are plans to expand this to young adults and beyond — with a Level 1 one-day course, and a more intense three-day Level 2 course accredited by the Speciality Coffee Association (SCA).

The aim is to provide young people with first-class barista skills to help them secure employment and to fill a void in the industry which is lacking speciality coffee trained baristas.

It is open to anyone within the accepted age range but Chris, who has volunteered with Witherslack Group and given talks at their schools across the country, decided to go one better.

He and his team have trained with The ADHD Foundation to make sure that they are able to deliver tuition to people with SEN and neurodiversity and accommodate any challenges they face.

says: “Too often these issues or challenges are seen as obstacles that prevent people from undertaking certain roles, when they might actually be the strengths that make them perfect for them.

“One of my best baristas had high-functioning autism. He was fantastic, and passionate about coffee and his job.

“Regardless of that, every job, or role, or course should be available to everyone, whatever the issues or challenges they face, and we need to learn how to adjust to deal with those issues and tailor tuition where necessary.”

He adds: “It’s exciting offering this training and doing something that hasn’t been done before. And while it’s nice to get the award and the recognition that goes with it, more important is making a difference to people’s lives and providing opportunities within the coffee industry.”

, Head of Witherslack Group Futures added:

“It is my pleasure to recognise Chris & Hayley from PSC with the Futures Inspirer Award for their outstanding support of our Futures programme. Futures is all about raising aspirations and creating real opportunities for our young people, and Chris & Hayley have gone above and beyond to champion neurodiversity in the workplace by providing pupils with universal skill sets to ultimately help them secure employment. Their commitment has not only opened doors but also inspired our young people to believe in what is possible”