Celebrating 25 years of making a difference

Community and kin came together recently to celebrate the quarter-of-a-century milestone of Fly Cup Enterprises.

Fly Cup Enterprises, which is based in Inverurie and has fourteen employees, two volunteers and over thirty trainees, marked its 25th anniversary on Friday 19th September at Inverurie Bowling Club with speeches made, music played, presentations delivered, food served and more.

Training and employment opportunities

Becoming a registered Scottish charity in 1999 and a social enterprise in 2000, we provide training and employment opportunities, from our Burghmuir Circle location, to adults with learning disabilities and difficulties through our popular café, venue spaces and event catering.

At the special occasion, longstanding Fly Cup Enterprises board member and chair, Fiona Allan, opened the evening, saying: “We’ve reached 25 years and who knows what the next 25 years might bring. But tonight, and what Fly Cup is all about, is all about the trainees and that’s why we’re here because there’s no point having Fly Cup if we don’t have the trainees. So tonight, we’re here to celebrate them.”

Fly Cup Enterprises’ training and well-being coordinator, Loïc Weber, added: “Fly Cup wouldn’t be anything without the trainees and we’re proud of what the trainees have achieved.”

Something much bigger

Each trainee was then presented with a certificate and a commemorative coin at the event, as the guests applauded all their effort and hard work, before dancing the night away.

The Fly Cup story began in 1995 at an Inverurie daycare centre, The Harlaw Centre, where a small group of parents, staff and volunteers launched a small ‘tearoom’ project to provide meaningful activities for individuals with additional support needs and to help them develop skills in catering and hospitality. What started small has grown into something much bigger, with expanded premises, new opportunities and this year’s chapter seeing the opening of a brand-new kitchen where our trainees and staff will develop the retail aspect of Fly Cup Enterprises, supplying local businesses with handmade produce, meanwhile staying true to our vision: to develop a self-sustaining organisation which enables adults with learning disabilities and difficulties to reach their full potential and live a life filled with opportunities and possibilities.

Loyal support and continued generosity

The event was also held to give a ‘thank you’ back to our friends, sponsors, customers and partners, whose loyal support and continued generosity has made Fly Cup Enterprises’ work possible over the past two and half decades.

You can support Fly Cup Enterprises through our café, venue spaces and event catering or through our new Friends of Fly Cup initiative. Find out more at: www.flycup.org

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