LOUISE HALL has cerebral palsy but that doesn’t stop her from enjoying a busy life.

One day at week she works at the Vanilla Bean cafe in Slaithwaite, she spends another at the Kirkwood Hospice shop in the village and is a receptionist at the Waves Centre for adults with special needs where she is a member.

Unceasingly cheerful, 42-year-old Louise, from Golcar, who, as a child, endured spinal surgery and years of treatment, loves the opportunity to work. “And the customers love her,” says Vanilla Bean owner Janice Joyce, one of a growing number of Slaithwaite business people who have signed up to a work placement scheme operated by the Waves Centre.

The scheme is just one of many forward-thinking projects at the centre, which was founded by Sallyanne Green and her son Ben Wright 18 months ago.

Catering for adults with learning difficulties and physical disabilities, Waves offers a huge raft of activities – many of them involving members of the community.

Sallyanne, a born networker, has enlisted the help of just about everyone and anyone in Slaithwaite. No opportunity to give the members new, useful and interesting experiences has been overlooked.

For example, seeds supplied by the Green Valley Grocer, a local food co-operative, are grown by members in the centre’s raised beds and the resulting vegetables sold back to the store.

In the summer the grocer sends surplus fruit to the centre so that members can make chutneys and jams.

And eggs from the centre’s chickens are sold to member’s families, used by the small town’s famous Meals on Wheels service, and go to the Empire Brewery, another company providing a work placement.

Then there’s the gardening service offered by members to St James’ Church as well as the 30 or so elderly people in the Meals on Wheels scheme (of which Sallyanne was a founder member).

A new project this year is the refurbishment of a cottage adjacent to Waves on Canal Side, which will become a holiday rental for families with disabled children. The project will be run by centre members.

The work placement scheme, however, is giving around three-quarters of the centre’s members a chance to experience a real work environment, boost their confidence and learn new skills.

The list of businesses taking part is extensive – the Little Bridge Wine Bar, Vanilla Bean cafe, Pinkissomo boutique, Blackburn’s outfitters, Empire Brewery, The Salon, Vintage Emporium, Penny’s Pantry, the Wharfeside Inn, Aldreds Opticians, the Hardware Company and Lily of the Valley florists – all in Slaithwaite.

“We have had a work placement scheme since we first opened, “ said Sallyanne, who has a background in special needs education, as has her son Ben.

“But it has taken time for that trust to develop between us, the members and the employers. And now we’re getting some really positive feedback.”

In fact, Waves is just one of a number of organisations in Slaithwaite closely linked by the personalities within them. And that, coupled with the total dedication of Sallyanne, Ben and their staff, is responsible for the centre’s amazing success.

The members themselves speak highly of their time at Waves.

Saku Burluraux, 20, who is on the autistic spectrum, is also enthusiastic about his work placement at The Little Bridge Wine Bar, where he spends one half day a week.

Bar owner Victoria Tillotson says he completes his regular tasks with an astonishing diligence – even sweeping up outside when the weather is terrible. “The customers love him as much as we do,” she said.

“I sweep up, wrap up the cutlery and sometimes get to serve the customers,” said Saku, from Linthwaite, who also has responsibilities back at Waves. He describes himself as the ‘Building and Estates Manager’ and helps to keep the premises tidy.

This is the ethos of Waves, teaching those who others might think can’t contribute that they can take responsibility and make decisions.

“People tend to think that someone in a wheelchair, for instance, won’t be able to do anything, but even though they have no speech they can be highly intelligent and have abilities,” says Sallyanne.

At Waves itself, the members – around 20 attend each day–- are encouraged to take on tasks.

One young man, for example, produces the centre newsletter, while others get involved with recycling, animal care and choosing the weekly food menus.

Members even have their own eBay business, selling unwanted items. Ben has introduced them to the world of the internet and shown them how to take photographs of their goods and upload them onto the site.

In return for their efforts, members are awarded Waves Tokens, which can be redeemed at participating businesses in Slaithwaite, who give the centre a discount on everything from drinks and drumming lessons to magazines and hairdos.

It’s yet another example of innovative thinking and community-based care for some of society’s more vulnerable adults.

Eight members of staff work at Waves and all, says Sallyanne, have compassion and years of experience of helping disabled people.

As well as teaching those with special needs, Sallyanne has been a Shared Lives carer for 17 years and is currently ‘mum’ to three young women – all with learning difficulties – who live with her. Ben and his wife Jayne, who works in the Waves craft department, are also involved with Shared Lives, as respite carers.

Sallyanne clearly loves her work and says that those involved with Waves see theirs as a vocation rather than a job. “We are just one big family,” she says.

It’s one of the reasons why this relatively new organisation appears to have won the hearts and minds of the Colne Valley Community.