The Aubergine Café

The Aubergine Cafe is designed for neurodivergent people by neurodivergent people and is a key part of the Grangetown community in Cardiff. It is a space where people with Autism, ADHD, and other mental conditions can find sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. A life which regularly overwhelms their senses and can even cause them physical pain.

ESM produced a one-off radio doc presented by singer-songwriter Kizzy Crawford, herself diagnosed as autistic, and commissioned by BBC Radio Wales that aims to show the subtle changes we can all make for a world that is a bit more aubergine.

The idea for The Aubergine Cafe was developed by ESM's Heledd Holloway, and was the first idea pitched by them to the ESM team. ESM has an open policy that any member of the team can pitch ideas when a call out from a fund or broadcaster is open. We share the brief and each team member has some time to think about and research their idea before sharing it with the team.

This idea was shared by Heledd in their first few weeks with ESM and they have worked across the project all the way to broadcast. In this video made for social media to help promote the programme, Kizzy explains what The Aubergine Cafe means to her.

Listen to The Aubergine Café on BBC Radio Wales and let us know what you think!