Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and South Lincolnshire (CPSL) Mind aims to enhance wellbeing and resilience within communities by working alongside individuals, organisations and other services to increase connectivity. Its Good Life Service prioritises recovery and inclusion, and provides focused mental health support, peer support and strengths-based wellbeing activities.
The charity has teamed up with local cafes in the area to offer weekly Good Mood Cafes: two-hour, informal get-togethers designed to connect like-minded individuals within their communities and encourage open conversations about mental health. Tracey O’Donoghue, the cafe’s facilitator at CPSL Mind, highlights the importance of the cafes: “Isolation is a big factor in affecting someone’s mental health. Getting people to the cafe to connect is a big thing – we know that feeling part of a community can really help wellbeing.”
Good Mood Cafe regular John Willcock says talking has helped him transform his life. “It’s a safe space with good company, where everyone can discuss whatever’s on their mind without fear of judgement. A lot of us share the same mental health issues, so we can all find common ground, but it’s also nice to come and chat about things that are nothing to do with mental health,” he says.
You can find Good Mood Cafe sessions on Mondays from 11am to 12.30pm weekly at the C3 Centre on Coldhams Lane, or on Wednesdays from 2pm to 3.30pm at The Edge Café on Mill Road.
CPSL Mind also offers Open Door calm spaces, which are geared towards providing people with somewhere to go for a bit of space and tranquillity. The sessions offer guidance and self-help techniques that can help you feel better both in the moment and in the future.
