How Hannah found community and confidence working at Burnt Honey Bakery

When Hannah joined Castle, she was ready for a new challenge. Living with ADHD, autism, intellectual disability and thoracic scoliosis, Hannah’s resilience and motivation have always set her apart. Already volunteering with the NSW Fire Brigade and the surf life saving club in her local Copacabana community on the Central Coast, Hannah wanted to take the next step towards open employment, hoping to increase her income and expand beyond her supported employment role at Fairhaven Tuggerah, an Australian Disability Enterprise.

From left to right: Louise and Hannah at Burnt Honey Bakery’s Long Jetty store.

In July 2023 Castle's Gosford team connected with Hannah and got to know her strengths and interests. Seeing her huge potential and commitment to building a career within her local community, the team was excited to support Hannah in her transition to open employment. The Castle Gosford team collaborated with inclusive employer, Burnt Honey Bakery to create an opportunity fit for Hannah.

“Castle understood that I wanted to be more independent. They helped me find a job where I feel like part of the community.” 
- Hannah

Burnt Honey is an artisan bakery known for its dedication to high-quality, locally sourced ingredients. The Castle team organised a meet-and-greet between Hannah and the Burnt Honey team, followed by a work trial. The trial was a hit, and Hannah began working across their Long Jetty and Copacabana stores 8 hours per week in a front-of-house position while also assisting with kitchen preparation. Familiar faces in her community and a supportive team have helped Hannah grow her confidence and today, she’s thriving in her customer-facing role.

“It’s nice when customers know me by name and it’s been fun to learn the correct pronunciation for French pastries and other items, like the Greek kourabiedes (coo-rah-bee-eh-dess),” says Hannah.

Burnt Honey Bakery has been fully flexible, ensuring a supportive work environment tailored to Hannah’s strengths. With on-the-job training in food safety and hygiene, Hannah now balances her commitments between Burnt Honey, Fairhaven and her community volunteer roles. Thanks to Castle’s on-the-job support and Burnt Honey’s dedication to inclusivity, Hannah is reaching her goals, building her career and learning new skills along the way.

“Hannah has been an amazing addition to our team. Her personality makes her so easy to work with,” says Louise, Hannah’s supervisor in the Long Jetty store. 

"She’s open to tackling all kinds of tasks and is proactive about what needs to be done. She gets on so well with other team members and the community.” - Louise, Burnt Honey

Hannah just celebrated 52 weeks of employment and has graduated from Castle’s DES program as an independent worker in open employment.

Congratulations, Hannah!

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