Mind in Enfield (MiE) will open up its 'Friends Cafe' to the public Monday to Friday. It will be open to all for fresh cooked healthy lunches and snacks at a reasonable price. The project will also run special events using food from the cafe (like tea parties, relaxation workshops, and arts adn crafts workshops). These will be both on site and around Enfield, to raise awareness of MiE's services. Currently the cafe is only open to MiE's clients, this project will make healthy food available to a wider range of people whilst at the same time help to break down the barriers between those with and without mental health issues. The events will increase engagement with people who currently don't know about MiE's services, and help them to access appropriate support from us. The project will also enable MiE to offer more volunteering opportunities to clients and supporters, helping them to develop their skills and experience.
What we'll deliver:
- Cafe opening to the public Monday to Friday lunchtimes
- Regular events on site and around Enfield
- Volunteer training and experience in food handling
Why it's a great idea:
Mind in Enfield's 'Friends Cafe' will offer an alternative to people looking for a local healthy lunch option at a reasonable price. Opening to the public will also help to remove the barriers between those with and without mental health problems - plus help more people to understand what MiE does and how it can help them, their families and friends. The events will also help MiE to make contact with more and different people to tell them about what we offer and how we can help. The project will help to offer more volunteering options to clients and our supporters, so they can develop their skills and experience to help them get work. This project will also help to raise the income of the cafe, towards ensuring it can run in future without having to rely on external funds.
Steps to get it done:
- Recruit a cafe cook
- Recruit and train volunteers
- Produce cafe signage
- Produce and distribute cafe publicity
- Plan and deliver first event - on site
- plan and deliver three other events - on and off site
The project will run for 8 months, after that it is intended that the café will be popular enough to continue self financed.
