Last week’s inaugural gala event held by disability support organisation Bedford raised almost $200,000.

Bedford CEO Myron Mann said the funds will help the organisation to realise its master plan, which will see it create new fit-for-purpose properties for a series of social enterprises for its employees.

Bedford is the second largest employer of people with disability in Australia.

Mann said the new social enterprises will create more choice for its employees and, hopefully, provide a springboard for those who want to enter the open employment market.

“There are not very many jobs for people with intellectual disability in the open market,” Mann said.

“It’s not easy for them to find and retain those jobs, because most employers just don’t know how to deal with disability.”

Most people would be familiar with Bedford’s role in offering supported employment, which is tailored to each person’s capability and offers a wage, set by the Fair Work Commission, that is below the award wage.

However, Mann said employees and their families were wanting more choice and more opportunities in their work.

“A lot of our employees have the ability to move on into doing regular jobs and open employment, and they just don’t get the opportunities,” Mann said.

“We need to create an environment in which we can actually offer that for them.

“So, Bedford decided to become the market maker and we are creating social enterprises in order for people to have choice.”

In March of this year, Bedford opened Cultivate Food and Beverage at Brooklyn Park, a commercial contract kitchen servicing food brands.

He sees the enterprise offering both secure jobs and a springboard to outside employment.

“The employees there have an opportunity to get a Cert III or Cert IV in Commercial Cookery and become a chef,” Mann said.

“They can move on and work in any restaurant in the city or wherever they might want to go.

“Or if they don’t have that ability to move on through, they can stay and earn a full wage at Cultivate’s commercial kitchen.”

Bedford has also entered into a joint venture with Leyton Property and Leyton Funds to develop an advanced manufacturing facility in Salisbury.

Cultivate will launch its second food manufacturing facility there when it opens, enabling the social enterprise to supply medium and large size food and beverage producers across Australia.

The hub will also be home to a new furniture manufacturing facility and is expected to provide ongoing employment for more than 200 people once it is opened.

Bedford supplies Bunnings stores nationwide with Bedford Furniture flatpacks, which are produced at their Panorama, Gepps Cross, Kadina, Port Pirie and Mount Gambier sites.

A redevelopment of Bedford’s Panorama site is also on the plans.

Mann said the organisation was “thrilled” with the ticket sales and participation in the gala night.

“I don’t know how many different people came up to me that night to tell me how much they personally enjoyed the night and how much they learned about what Bedford does,” he said.

“I think this gala will be something we will continue to do to build brand awareness of what Bedford’s doing., and also continue to raise money to help us on the journey.

“We have some employees who may be in supportive employment for a long time. But with social enterprises, we also have an opportunity for people to move on beyond that.”

“We haven’t had the capability to offer that before – this is really something new and exciting for us and people with disability.”