Tap Social opens largest venue at Signal Yard

Multi award-winning Oxford social enterprise Tap Social Movement has opened Day Release, its largest venue to date and a vibrant new all-day café, bar and community space at Signal Yard, Milton Park’s new £14 million social and retail destination.

Day Release

Marking a significant milestone in Tap Social’s growth, Day Release is the organisation’s fourth community venue, first purpose-built location and largest to date, spanning two floors across approximately 3,563 sq ft (331 sq m).

For the first time, the venue brings together Tap Social’s bakery, pizza kitchen, café, bar, brewing school and events under one roof, creating a welcoming destination for Milton Park occupiers, visitors and the wider Oxfordshire community.

Featuring playful, hand-painted murals by Oxford artist Lisa Made It, Day Release offers:

• Fresh bread and pastries from Tap Social’s bakery, Proof Social Bakehouse
• Hand-stretched sourdough pizzas
• Fresh salads and sandwiches
• A full bar with 10 draught lines plus canned beers, showcasing Tap Social’s independent beer range
• Barista-made coffee from fellow Oxford social enterprise NewGround Coffee
• Brew School, where groups can brew their own beer alongside Tap Social’s professional brewers.

Social mission

The two-storey 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 of Day Release 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.”

Signal Yard

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.

Spanning four sensitively repurposed buildings, 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 somewhere 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.

“As Milton Park continues to grow, it’s important that we’re creating more than just places to work. Signal Yard has been designed as a destination where people can meet, connect and spend time together, and Day Release perfectly embodies that vision.”

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.