A café will open in Ashford for people who need help and support with their mental health over the weekend.
The Wellbeing Café will run as a six-month pilot on Friday and Saturday nights and is funded by NHS Ashford Clinical Commissioning Group.
It will mean that people who experience anxiety, low mood, loneliness and isolation can drop in and speak to a trained mental health support worker over a cup of tea or coffee.
The café will be based in House, Stour Centre, Tannery Lane and opens on Friday 23 October from 6pm until 9.30pm. It will be operated on behalf of the Ashford Mental Health Action Group (MHAG) by a group of partners including Maidstone and Mid Kent Mind and Speakup CIC.
Alan Heyes, County Chair of MHAG, said: “People don’t need to book an appointment, they can just turn up. Support workers and volunteers will help by talking through their issues and giving advice on other services which might be useful, like psychological therapies, the Citizens Advice Bureau or relationship counselling. This will help stop small issues from becoming bigger problems.
“We’ve run similar cafes in Swale and Medway with some great results. People came to these for a wide range of reasons. For one person, they were feeling lonely as they had just lost their job and didn’t know many people in the area. Others used it because they had had some sudden bad news and didn’t know who else to turn to.
“There are fewer mental health services available for people at the weekend and this can mean some are left calling emergency services when there should be better and more effective ways of offering them support.”
Dr Navin Kumta, Chair of NHS Ashford Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “We want everyone in Ashford and the surrounding area to lead healthy and happy lives. Mental health is just as important as our physical health but can often be overlooked.
“Anyone can experience mental health problems in their life and this pilot project will mean that people will have a place to go and seek help and support if they are feeling low.
“Early intervention can ultimately stop a situation from escalating and this will be better for the person and the NHS.”
For more information call: 01622 692383
NHS Ashford Clinical Commissioning Group 21 October 2015