The main hub of the Centre and where there is always a communal feel is in the dining/kitchen area. This is where most Next Steppers choose to meet upon arrival in the morning, enjoying a drink of their choice with friends and support workers before the day begins.

As well as being sociable and enjoyable, this area is functional too. The Hanson Environment Fund very kindly sponsored a specialised kitchen that is designed to meet the needs of everyone attending the Centre: work surfaces and sinks are at different heights, giving access to several wheelchair users and their support workers simultaneously. All the standard facilities that you would expect are provided - multiple ovens, multiple cooking rings, a large freezer, a large fridge, a dishwasher etc. and we have a selection of switches enabling many of the Next Steppers to operate a variety of equipment.

Next Steppers are encouraged to be involved in many aspects of the day to day running of the kitchen area, from food preparation skills, food hygiene awareness, healthy eating, helping to serve food at lunch times, and even washing up! And many carry these skills through to their home environment too. The kitchen area is also very popular for Next Steppers to enjoy creative and sensory baking which they can then share with their friends and family.

Everything is carried out under appropriate supervision and we have an excellent track record for food hygiene standards and regular staff training.

Our original idea was to eventually be able to offer a Community Café open to the public who could enjoy refreshments prepared and served by our Next Steppers. To date this has unfortunately not been possible, but we do offer an outside catering facility which some of our Next Steppers get involved with. Additionally we currently have an interest in running a catering course in the evenings, though this has yet to be finalised.

Invaluable extra space to our dining area (as is does get rather busy at lunch times) came in the shape of a conservatory extension that was built in 2007, thanks to a very generous grant from Action Halifax with matched funding from many volunteers. This effectively doubled our dining capacity and also provided an area that can be isolated from the kitchen to be used for other activities such as Arts and Crafts.

A big thank you goes to all involved in making this area an integral part of the Centre.