First Minister Visits Perth Social Enterprise Helping Former Prisoners Rebuild Their Lives
Perth, Scotland– Rascals Café, a vibrant vegan café and social enterprise in Perth, welcomed First Minister John Swinney yesterday, recognising Rascals’ transformative work supporting individuals with convictions as they reintegrate into society.
During the visit, the First Minister met with staff and ‘students’ – the individuals supported by the café – to hear first-hand how the enterprise is helping them turn their lives around following incarceration.
Rascals Café is the trading arm of social enterprise Starting Step, founded by social entrepreneur Dodie Piddock. It was launched with the vision of offering bespoke training, support, and employment to those who are often overlooked by traditional systems, including young people, those with criminal records, and individuals facing deep social isolation.
“Far too many people fall through the cracks,” said Dodie Piddock. “Rascals Café was created to give people a real second chance through meaningful work and personal development; we specialise in people, not projects. Having the First Minister witness this in action is an incredible moment for us and for everyone we support.”
Since opening in 2022, Rascals Café has supported 50 individuals through employment and training. Many have gone on to secure permanent jobs, continue their education, and even set up their own businesses.
The café’s success has been supported by Firstport, Scotland’s agency for social entrepreneurs, which provided early-stage grant funding and business advice. Dodie recently secured a Build It award from the Scottish Government’s Social Entrepreneurs Fund, which is administered by Firstport. The award has allowed her to employ two new members of staff so she can focus on the next phase of Starting Step’s growth: developing and opening the horticulture programme. Dodie says, “It is now essential to reduce the youngsters in the ‘school to prison pipeline’.”
Dodie plans to open a Horticultural Training Centre with an onsite kitchen garden and further training facilities in outreach gardens. This will increase the number of students the enterprise can support. The centre will enable Rascals to use hospitality and horticulture as a base for building on the individual’s strengths and skills, while contributing to increasing biodiversity and mitigating climate change.
Speaking after the visit, First Minister John Swinney said: “Social enterprises like Rascals Café make Scotland fairer and more inclusive. By employing and training people who have been in prison, the café is helping with their rehabilitation and allowing them to contribute to their communities again. The Scottish Government is proud to have invested £6.2 million to support the growth of our social enterprises this year. They support our ambitions for community wealth building and for economic growth that has real benefits for our people. It’s inspiring to see the difference our assistance and organisations like Firstport are making in Scotland’s communities.”
Gael Drummond, Firstport’s CEO, said: “Rascals Café is an example of what social enterprises do best: make a positive impact on people and planet while also contributing to the local economy and creating fair jobs. We are delighted to see Dodie go from strength to strength, and we look forward to supporting her as she develops the Horticultural Centre.”
For more information about Rascals Café, visit their website.