A Dhoon-based social enterprise café is celebrating its first year in business, with its founders calling for more employability pathways for vulnerable and neurodiverse people across the Isle of Man.

Zen at the Glen, which opened in Dhoon last year, marked its one-year anniversary this week and says it remains committed to creating meaningful employment opportunities within an inclusive and supportive working environment.

The café was founded with a focus on social value as well as hospitality, aiming to provide supported work placements and long-term employment for autistic and neurodiverse members of the community.

In a statement marking the milestone, the team behind Zen said they are ‘incredibly proud’ of what has been achieved since opening its doors.

They said: ‘When we first opened the café, we had a vision that went beyond coffee, food and events. From the very beginning, we wanted Zen to have real social value.

‘Our aim was to create opportunities and offer employment to Autistic members of our community here on the island, while building a space rooted in kindness, acceptance and inclusion.’

The café currently employs two autistic members of staff, with a further two set to join the team this summer to support events.

The business says its approach is based on recognising individual strengths and adapting the working environment where necessary, rather than expecting staff to conform to a single model of work.

It added: ‘True inclusion means allowing people to work with the strengths and skills they have, rather than trying to make everyone fit the same mould. When you nurture an individual’s strengths, they flourish.’

The team also highlighted the wider impact of the project beyond employment alone, pointing to relationships formed between neurodiverse staff and other team members, including older volunteers.

They said these connections had been ‘built on patience, learning, friendship and respect’, adding that inclusion had strengthened the wider community around the café.