Earlier this year we saw the launch of Birmingham’s first ‘wellbeing cafe’ in Selly Oak. grounded. – from one of Birmingham’s leading mental health organisations, Living Well Consortium – was launched to offer locals a place to relax, recover, and recoup over a coffee. Soon residents of Hall Green will have access to a similar concept come January.
Described more as a ‘wellbeing hub’, the second addition of grounded. will differ slightly from the café model. It’s been tailored specifically to meet the needs of the local community in Hall Green. According to recent NHS data, Hall Green has some of the lowest numbers of people in mental health care in the region. By opening this space in the community, Living Well Consortium hopes to provide the local and wider population with mental health needs with the right information in a calm, warm environment.
“With grounded. Hall Green, we didn’t want to copy and paste the initial model (as good as it is!), we knew it needed to reflect the people who would be using it,” said Ben Howells, Chief Executive Officer at Living Well Consortium. “With that in mind, we’ve put in a lot of work to ensure that the site is catered directly to the local community and their needs, and really hope that we have another success story on our hands – for the community themselves more than anyone else!”
The new wellbeing hub will be launched on 15 January 2024, more commonly known as Blue Monday. Visitors will be able to mental health support with a registered therapeutic mentor, as well as access wellbeing workshops and therapies. Meanwhile, community events will aim to improve mental wellbeing and remove the stigma around mental health. While Living Well Consortium will run the project, day-to-day operations and clinical aspects will be led by Birmingham-based CIC, Cognitive Wellness.
Saira Jan, Clinical Director at Cognitive Wellness, adds: “At Cognitive Wellness our core goal is to help people who are struggling with their mental health, providing them with support, resources and education – this project will help us implement that care in a community that is currently lacking crucial mental health offerings. We’re so excited to get stuck in come January and can’t wait to really embed ourselves into the community, helping those who need it most.”
The new wellbeing hub will be located at 1043 Stratford Road, Hall Green. To find out more about grounded. head here.