CHANGE Please, the social enterprise that helps people affected by homelessness to become baristas, has opened its first outlet in Scotland, in the WeWork building in Edinburgh.

The coffee firm started four years ago, initially offering people experiencing homelessness in London the opportunity to train as baristas.

READ MORE: Scottish social enterprise net worth up 22% to £6.1bn in two years

Change Please now provides people affected by homelessness with accommodation, training, and employment, paying the Living Wage in a variety of locations south of the Border.

The Herald:

WeWork and Change Please have hailed the expansion of their collaboration across the UK, including in Edinburgh where WeWork has opened its first Scottish office, at 80 George Street, as groundbreaking.

The Herald:

Change Please has 22 baristas across 11 WeWork locations as of this month, including the two baristas in Scotland, who were recruited from Edinburgh.

The Herald:

Cemal Ezel, founder of Change Please, said: “We believe the coffee industry has the power to change lives.

"Since launching in 2015 we have changed the lives of people across our country, by empowering them to have a way of homelessness through employment and being self-dependent.”

He said the collaboration “has provided a huge boost”.

READ MORE: Global office firm WeWork opens first building in Scotland

Mathieu Proust, general manager ofWeWork UK and Ireland, said: “We are very excited to have expanded our partnership across the UK with Change Please.

"I look forward to watching our collaboration with Change Please grow.

"It is a great example of the kind of organisation WeWork and our members want to support.”