Launch of Chatterbox Café is a huge success
Pictured l-r: Dr Andrew Clifton, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing and Founder of Chatterbox Café, Trudie Enright, Co-Director of Chatterbox Café and Dean of the School of Human and Health Sciences, Professor John Playle, who officially launched the social enterprise on the day.
Mon, 15 Dec 2014 16:12:00 GMT
New social enterprise provides a space for people to chat with like-minded people – and raises awareness about mental illness
A FRIENDLY welcome was given to all that came to the Chatterbox Café, when the social enterprise launched with huge success last week.
The pilot ‘pop-up café’ took place at the University’s Ramsden Café situated within the Ramsden Building and was open from 9am to 4pm. On the menu was soup of the day with tea and coffee, with Christmas cakes on sale for a donation.
One in four people – a quarter of the population – experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year, with anxiety and depression the most common mental disorders in the UK.
To raise awareness of this issue, Dr Andrew Clifton, a Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing, established the Chatterbox Café with local people in the community. The Café supports mental well-being by providing a space for people to go and chat about their recovery to like-minded people as well as raising awareness to the general public about mental health problems and the stigma that surrounds it.
Running as the ‘pop-up’ format, the Café will be seen in Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Wakefield, with the hope of finding permanent premises in the future and in the long term it is intended that Chatterbox Café will provide meaningful employment opportunities for those people who are having difficulty returning to employment.
Within his research Dr Clifton identified a need for like-minded people to come together, in a supportive environment, to talk without the stigma of being judged, criticised or socially excluded.
“The launch of the Chatterbox Café was a huge success. There was a wonderful vibe and atmosphere throughout the day. ” said Dr Clifton.
“It is important, especially at this time of year, for people to talk. Some people are lonely and isolated or have financial difficulties. Sometimes it is not about talking about your mental health but just about what is worrying you and this is primarily what the Chatterbox Café is all about,” he continued.
Dr Clifton hopes to secure permanent premises in the future but until then there will be other various pop-up events around the South West Yorkshire area.
One of the directors of the social enterprise, Trudie Enright, met Dr Clifton two years ago and has been heavily involved in the launch of the project from the very beginning.
A registered nurse, and herself a service user, Trudie actively campaigns in raising the awareness of post-natal depression after suffering from the illness herself 23 years ago after the birth of her son.
“The stigma of suffering from depression has been a major factor on my life,” said Trudie.
“I feel really passionate that mental illness should be looked upon in the same way as someone having diabetes or a migraine, for example, but it’s not. The fact of the matter is people just don’t want to know. I hope that Chatterbox Café will be a step towards changing attitudes and confronting the stigma that surrounds people who suffer from mental illnesses.”
- Find out more about Chatterbox Café on their Twitter page.
