Russell Brand Donates Cafe to Charity to Support Ex-Prisoners, Those Struggling With Substance Use

Over a year ago, comedian and activist Russell Brand opened the Trew Era Cafe in east London. Named after his YouTube channel, The Trews, Brand set up the cafe as a not-for-profit social enterprise—his way of giving back by embracing those in recovery and not shunning them. Every employee at the cafe is either in recovery or an ex-offender.

Now, he's giving the cafe away to Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust (RAPt), which works with prisoners struggling with drug or alcohol addiction. 

Brand is donating the cafe to RAPt so it can continue what he started, providing recovery and employment opportunities to ex-prisoners and people struggling with addiction.

The cafe, which Brand called a "fully self-supporting, new economic enterprise,” provides a safe haven for those in recovery and demonstrates that despite the negative stigma associated with former addicts, they can succeed and even thrive if given the chance.

RAPt’s headquarters, which provides support, workshops, training and employment opportunities, is next door to the cafe, which now joins a number of the organization's "recovery enterprises"—independent businesses staffed and run by people in recovery.

"I'm donating this cafe to RAPt, a great charity that helps prisoners stay clean," said Brand. "If I ever get sent down I hope this'll mean I get a cushy job in the library."

After supporting the cafe for a year, Brand now hopes it can be self-sufficient and continue to provide opportunities for those in need. 

Olly, a staff member at the cafe, likens the establishment to a place offering vocational training to people in recovery. He told Impolitikal last year that he wants to bust the myth of what an addict in recovery is really about.

“I’m in recovery, I brought a lot of the workers into this space, and I’m here to coordinate and manage their personal involvement with the space," said Olly. "My thing is about myth-busting: what is an addict in recovery? When I work with RAPt, one of my intentions is to help prisoners develop some sole trader occupations ... Therein I’m serving the social purpose of myth-busting: what it is to be an ex-offender.

Olly continued: "[Russell wanted] to offer vocational training to people in recovery, from 12-step recovery primarily.”