A CAFE run by young people in Milford Haven has scooped a top prize in the recent Big Access Awards.

Buddies Cafe at Milford Haven Youth Centre was named most accessible cafe or coffee shop in Pembrokeshire, in a public vote.

Nick Hudd, deputy manager of the Community Youth Team, said they were delighted to be recognised, and that in the few years since the cafe opened it had become a popular hub - proudly accessible to all.

“A lot of our work is about creating an inclusive agenda and removing barriers in the widest sense of the word – not just physical barriers but barriers to all social groups who might be isolated for different reasons,” he said.

“Accessibility is embedded in everything we do.

"We aim to show young people that they are not the only group who can be isolated within society and how they can help to address the wider needs of the community.”

Buddies Café is a partnership project run by Pembrokeshire Youth – Pembrokeshire County Council’s youth service – and Milford Youth Matters.

It offers young people the experience of working in a small catering environment while improving their employment-related skills and confidence in their ability to achieve.

Open Monday to Friday, it is one of many projects run by the partnership’s Routes to Opportunity programme and has previously been shortlisted for a national Youth Excellence Award

The Big Access Awards, hosted by BBC broadcaster Jamie Owen, aimed to highlight the most accessible Pembrokeshire businesses and amenities.

They were created by the Pembrokeshire Access Group as part of the Community Voice Project, and funded by the Big Lottery.