Our New Community Wellbeing Centre will be in the Heart of York’s newly developing Piccadilly / Castlegate / Foss Gateway area We believe it is our responsibility to take care of the people in our community, Our purpose is about giving back to our community to make it a better place: for the people and the environment (built and natural) The Healing Clinic has been addressing issues of physical, emotional and mental health for 25 years and Briar House for 10. The time is now right to expand in partnership, with information, treatments and self-care strategies to improve physical, social and mental health, lessening the burden on the NHS and helping people live healthier lives. This new Community Wellbeing Centre will offer equality of access to high-quality complementary therapies, including massage, acupuncture, counselling, yoga, pilates, art therapy and a meeting place for groups like Yor-Peer Mental Health Support Group, York LGBT Forum and local residents groups and forums.

What we'll deliver:

• Fully Accessible Premises
• Two New Meeting Rooms
• Improve The Outside Patio at the New Premises
• Three New Treatment Rooms
• Work Towards Greening Piccadilly

Why it's a great idea:

This is a great idea because we will be able to say our premises are fully accessible to all for the first time in our 25 year history. We will be more visible. This is an exciting time to be a part of this newly reviving area of York. We will be working towards a more integrated consortium of services to improve mental health in particular in York. This will be the Hub from which we will increase our Outreach Services around the city, and will welcome in our partners in the voluntary sector such as York Carers Forum, Older Citizens Advocacy York (OCAY), Mainstay, St Nick's Ecotherapy and Refugee Action York to offer joined-up services and support for groups and individuals.

Steps to get it done:

• Fixing the patio area to provide an outdoor area for exhibitions
• Settling into the new premises, with new signage
• Developing our consortium to create York's first Community Wellbeing Hub
• Increasing course participants by 50% in our first six months
• Promoting our new premises and courses, classes and treatments

Our current premises are in a shared lovely old building but it is cold and damp, and has poor natural daylight. Most of our treatment rooms are accessible only to people with no mobility issues. By moving to new, fully accessible premises with good daylight, no damp and appropriate heating/ventilation, we will naturally promote the health of our colleagues as well as our clients and volunteers. We have a long history of offering work experience placements for students and unemployed people and we want to expand on that and live up to our award from PACT's Reaching Out Project, as a "A Good Place to Volunteer". We will also have more opportunity for art exhibitions by local people and other community events. We will have an "Open Door" policy, whereas now people have to ring the doorbell and wait to be let in. We feel we are disturbing our landlords who are upstairs from us with all the comings and goings - their poor receptionist has her desk in the lobby where our people come in.