Liverpool based dry bar and café The Brink has marked its seventh birthday with a range of community-centric celebrations.
The Brink is a revolutionary social venture, which opened in September 2011. It is the UK’s first dry bar and restaurant, serving locally sourced fresh food, an imaginative array of non-alcoholic drinks and hosting events to showcase the talent of local artists, musicians and performers – creating a thriving social hub where people from all backgrounds and walks of life can socialise and relax. In order to provide those in recovery with an opportunity to re-enter the workforce, many of the staff members at the revolutionary café-bar have had problems with alcohol in the past.
The Parr Street venue, run by national charity Action on Addiction, hosted an evening of food and entertainment in the form of live music, karaoke and even its own version of ‘Play Your Cards Right’ to celebrate its business milestone. Since opening in 2011, The Brink has helped thousands of people living with addiction to rebuild their lives and has created 17 new jobs. This year alone, the venue has worked with 30 volunteers, with the majority of these positions being filled by those who are in recovery.
Manager of The Brink, Carl Bell said: “Seven years on from our opening, we are as important as ever to the local community, playing a pivotal role in supporting not only those living with addiction, but also those affected by it, such as family and friends. As the first of its kind in the UK, The Brink has become a thriving social hub for the recovery community and the wider public alike. From pre-recovery courses to counselling and even social events such as weekly football training and open mic nights, we are continuing to offer an all-round service that can benefit people of all ages and walks of life.
Reflecting on what we have achieved in the last seven years since we first opened our doors is incredibly rewarding and it’s comforting to know just how many people we have supported and helped to change their lives for the better. As a testament to this, we were recently shortlisted in this year’s Merseyside Independent Business Awards in the Community Impact category, which is a huge privilege and adds momentum to our cause, demonstrating the importance of what we’re doing for the recovery community and beyond in Merseyside.”
For more information visit www.thebrinkliverpool.com