Level Best’s Year of Impact: Inclusive Enterprise Powers Opportunities in the Heart of Colchester

In Colchester’s city centre, a social enterprise is creating real change by offering training, connection and purpose to young adults with learning disabilities. Level Best Enterprises has released its 2025 Community Impact Report, documenting a year of strong growth, creative achievements and expanding opportunity.

Over the past 12 months, Level Best supported 94 individual Trainee placements across its four social enterprises which is a total increase of more than 20% on the previous year. Across those placements, a total of 8,798 training sessions were delivered, up from just over 7,000 the year before. These sessions spanned kitchen skills, art, front-of-house service, horticulture and seasonal product development, all designed to build confidence, independence and employability.

But as Manager Alison Ling explains, the impact goes beyond the numbers.

“We’re not just building skills, we’re building belonging. Our café, gallery, garden and kitchen are all spaces where people feel seen, valued, and empowered.”

This focus on inclusion has helped establish Level Best as one of Colchester’s most vibrant community hubs. Its café, now ranked in the top 10% of restaurants worldwide on TripAdvisor, welcomed thousands of customers over the past year. Visitors returned for the food, the atmosphere and the warm welcome from the Trainees themselves, who help deliver the service day in, day out.

Level Best has also become a trusted venue for local groups and events, hosting everything from Essex Sight coffee mornings to birthday parties, art exhibitions and community markets. A new Venezuelan Supper Club launched this year with guest chefs, adding another dimension to the organisation’s cultural calendar.

Recognition for the team’s work came not just locally but nationally. In 2024, Level Best was a finalist at the National Diversity Awards and the National Learning Disabilities and Autism Awards, and took home Highly Commended at both the Essex Countywide and Colchester Business Awards.

Level Best also expanded its reach through new partnerships, including with the veterans’ charity The League of Remembrance. That support helped fund four twelve-week Trainee placements, allowing young people previously unable to access support a chance to develop skills and social confidence in a supported environment.

“There are still huge inequalities facing people with learning disabilities,” said trustee Gareth Mitchell. “Only around 5% of those who access long-term social care are in paid work. That’s something we are determined to change — and this report shows that we are.”

With a gallery space now fully booked until 2027, and continued demand for placements, Level Best is encouraging more local people to get involved — as volunteers, supporters, partners or future Trustees.

“We’ve created something very special here,” said Ling. “But we know we can go even further — and with the support of Colchester, we will.”