New crisis cafes open to improve mental health support in Stamford & Rutland
People can stop by for a chat without needing to make an appointment.
Eleven new crisis cafes are being set up around Leicestershire and Rutland offering mental health support for anyone needing somebody to talk to.
People can stop by without an appointment, have a hot drink with staff and discuss anything that might be going through their head.
They're being set up by the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical Commissioning Groups (LLR CCGs) and Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT), in partnership with Voluntary Action Leicestershire (VAL).
The cafés are drop-in centres for anyone over the age of 18 to come and talk about their mental health - with no appointment needed. There are 11 due to open in 2022 and a remaining 10 in 2023, bringing the total of cafes across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to 25.
On Friday (1/7), the second of the new cafes, the Lutterworth Crisis Café, had its opening event, bringing the total of crisis cafes open across Leicestershire to six.
Jacky Waring from Beacon Care and Advice CIC said: “Beacon is delighted to be running the twice weekly sessions on Wednesdays and Fridays which will allow members of the community to access support and advice to manage their mental health and wellbeing.
“The launch will be a valuable opportunity to meet with staff and local partners and allow the opportunity to find out how we can support some of the valuable work that is being undertaken in the local area.
“We look forward to meeting all our partners on 1st July for tea, coffee, refreshments, and networking.”
The café will be open on Wednesday from 5pm – 9pm and Fridays from 9am – 1pm and will be open everyone with no appointment necessary. It will run its first session after the launch, on Wednesday 6 July.
Rosie Klair, Project Lead, Urgent Care & Access Pathway at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, said: “I am delighted that Lutterworth is now open, following hot on the heels of last month’s opening at Coalville. With more cafes coming on board in July, August and September, our network will soon reach 15, with a further 10 to open in 2023.
“We have seen an increase in numbers attending across the city and Loughborough cafés, so to widen the presence further across the city and county will mean that more people can travel less to access this support. The range of new providers will enhance the localised support for the communities they serve.”