Food and drink lovers of Oxfordshire, rejoice as we a gorgeous new venue in Oxfordshire to enjoy. Oxford based social enterprise Tap Social Movement has opened Day Release, a vibrant new all-day café, bar and community space at Signal Yard at Milton Park.
Day Release is Tap Social’s largest venue to date. The two-storey purpose-built venue brings together Tap Social’s bakery, pizza kitchen, café, bar, brewing school, and events for Milton Park occupiers, visitors and the wider Oxfordshire community.
Day Release at Milton Park, photo credit Louis Alder
The beautiful venue with indoor and outdoor space features hand-painted murals by Oxford artist Lisa Made It. You can enjoy fresh bread and pastries from Tap Social’s bakery, Proof Social Bakehouse, hand-stretched sourdough pizza and fresh salads and sandwiches.
There’s a full bar with 10 draught lines plus canned beers, showcasing Tap Social’s independent beer range and barista-made coffee from fellow Oxford social enterprise NewGround Coffee. You can also experience Brew School, where groups can brew their own beer alongside Tap Social’s professional brewers.
The venue will be home to around 16 staff and continues Tap Social’s mission to create meaningful employment opportunities for people with lived experience of the criminal justice system while creating a welcoming place for everyone.
The opening marks another milestone in Tap Social’s growth. Building on the success of The Market Tap in Oxford’s Covered Market, The Taproom in Botley and Proof Social Bakehouse in Kennington, Day Release becomes the organisation’s fourth community venue in Oxfordshire. Together, Tap Social’s brewery, bakery and hospitality businesses employ around 60 people.
Since it was founded in 2016, Tap Social has created more than 115,000 hours of paid employment for people in prison and prison leavers, demonstrating how commercial success and social impact can go hand in hand.
Tess Taylor, co-founder and director of Tap Social Movement, said: “Day Release is the culmination of everything that Tap Social has built over the last decade. It’s our most ambitious venue to date and, for the first time, brings together our bakery, café, pizza kitchen, taproom and brewing experiences in one exciting, friendly space.”
“Hospitality is an incredible way to bring people together. Every coffee served, every meal shared and every shift worked helps create opportunities for people rebuilding their lives after contact with the criminal justice system. We’re incredibly proud to be opening Day Release at Milton Park and to join the community at Signal Yard, a place where everyone is welcome. It’s been an absolute pleasure bringing Day Release to life and working alongside the team at Milton Park and Federated Hermes.”
The Tap Social team, photo credit Louis Alder
Day Release is the anchor tenant at Signal Yard, Milton Park’s new social and retail destination, representing a £14 million investment in enhancing the Park’s occupier experience and creating a vibrant place for people to meet, eat, work and spend time together. Signal Yard provides 17 independent retail and hospitality units across two floors, together with landscaped public spaces and a carefully curated mix of independent operators serving Milton Park’s 280 occupiers, visitors and the wider community.
Clare Fleet, asset manager for Milton Park at Federated Hermes Real Estate, said: “Bringing Day Release to Signal Yard is a real milestone for us and something we’ve been working towards for a number of years. From the very beginning, our ambition was to create somewher with character and purpose, championing independent businesses that bring something genuinely different to Milton Park and the wider community.
“Tap Social is an exceptional organisation. Not only do they produce outstanding food, coffee and craft beer, they also transform lives by creating meaningful employment opportunities for people with convictions. That combination of commercial excellence and social impact makes them an incredible partner, and we’re immensely proud they’ve chosen Signal Yard as the home for Day Release.”
Day Release by Tap Social, photo credit The Tap Social team, photo credit Louis Alder
Day Release is open Monday to Wednesday, 7.30am-4pm; Thursday and Friday, 7.30am-9pm and Saturday, 9am-9pm. The venue is closed on Sundays.
