Bristol Wellbeing Café turns 10

Bristol Wellbeing College’s Wellbeing Café sessions launched in September 2016 and have been making a difference to people’s lives for a decade.

To mark the anniversary, 30 clients came together with Second Step staff members and other professionals who have supported the café over the years to celebrate, share stories and reflect on what the sessions have meant to them.

Ben Lilford, who runs the sessions and organised the event, said:

“I can’t believe it’s been 10 years. Listening to clients talk so positively about the café was truly heart warming.

“The sessions take place in a public café, giving people with mental health diagnoses the opportunity to experience everyday life alongside peers and members of the public, without the support of mental health professionals.

“Since the pandemic, we have welcomed more than 400 different people to the weekly sessions, with almost 5,000 attendances between them. The sessions have helped people find work and get involved in community activities, as well as, most importantly, develop long-term friendships and support for one another through life’s highs and lows.”

About Bristol Wellbeing Cafés

Our Wellbeing Café sessions are relaxed afternoons of company and conversation in a regular café space.

As part of the sessions you can also speak to our worker from our city-wide service, Help When You Need It, who can offer advice and signposting to point you in the right direction for the any further support that might be helpful.

Wellbeing Cafés take place on Thursday afternoons at Boston Tea Party on Gloucester Road. Sessions are open to all, and there’s no need to book. Find out more on our Bristol Wellbeing webpage.