Gaining real-life hospitality skills
The Flying Fox food truck is situated on the Minehead Promenade outside the Foxes Hotel. The truck gives Foxes' students the opportunity to cater for a variety of events, from food fairs to music festivals, boosting their skills and confidence while preparing them for employment in the hospitality industry.
Principal Emma Cobley MBE said the experience will "give our students the skills, knowledge and confidence to successfully shape their own futures."
The Flying Fox welcomes customers on the promenade three days a week throughout the summer term, serving a selection of paninis and rice boxes. Students running the truck will learn outdoor service skills including food preparation, hygiene and storage.
Students named the Flying Fox truck after the Flying Fox café, which was put in place during lockdowns, with menu ideas created by Foxes students, hotel chefs and Stuart Duff, Corporate Chef for the UK and Ireland, Hilton. The truck is funded by a £30,000 grant from the Hilton Global Foundation. Hilton has been a partner of Aurora Foxes since 2015 and has provided work placements for over 30 Foxes' students. They are set to offer a further number of placements later this year. Currently, seven Aurora Foxes graduates are employed in six of Hilton's hotels.
Aurora Foxes Academy
Aurora Foxes is a specialist training hotel for young people with learning disabilities, situated in the friendly seaside town of Minehead. We believe in changing lives and giving our students the skills, knowledge and confidence to successfully shape their own futures. At Foxes, students learn lots of new skills which help them find sustainable employment in the hospitality sector and to live independently. From day one, everything at Foxes is geared towards helping our students to become work ready and life ready!
Find out more about Aurora Foxes
