New Crisis Café to provide mental health support in Beeston

A new evening mental health drop-in service has opened just outside the Erewash borough, at the Yellow Wood Café on Chilwell Road in Beeston.

The service, delivered by mental health organisation Turning Point is available as a walk-in service from 6-11pm every Monday and Wednesday evening, providing mental health support for the local community.

This new service is part of a network of Crisis Sanctuaries across Nottinghamshire, which provide out of hours support in 16 locations across the county.  The network of Crisis Sanctuaries is a pilot funded by Nottinghamshire Healthcare Trust to make mental health support more accessible out of hours and to reduce the numbers of people attending A&E with mental health related concerns. A total of 440 people used the Sanctuaries between April and September this year.

Lucy – not her real name – who has used the service back in July due to her severe anxiety praised the service as a safe space and something she could rely on when she was struggling to cope and didn’t know where to turn for help.

Iain Paterson-Stephens, an engineer and academic in architecture recently left his former career to open the Yellow Wood Café, which he renovated from scratch. 

Iain said “I really want the café to be a place in the community where people can feel comfortable and at ease. Supporting mental health is such an important thing, especially in light of the pandemic.” 

Iain’s partner Kay, a trained counsellor, holds sessions above the café, really solidifying its place as a safe space within the community.

Felicia Job, Service Manager at Turning Point said: “The last year has put a great strain on our mental health and it’s vital we have easy access to services. The drop-in provides local people accessible out-of-hours mental health support and a safe space to talk. The service, which is staffed by trained Crisis Intervention Workers, offers mental health care in a non-clinical space. We are really pleased to be able to deliver the service from the Yellow Wood Café which is a lovely venue at the heart of the community.”