Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds welcome Steam House Café, mental health crisis spaces from Access Community Trust

Two new mental health support cafés have opened in Suffolk that aim to challenge the stigma around mental illness.

Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich both recently welcomed Steam House Café, a series of spaces set up by Access Community Trust, for adults suffering from mental health crises.

They have taken residence in The Malthouse, off Risbygate Street, and the former Sue Ryder shop in Carr Street, respectively.

The cafés were designed to escape from a traditional clinical setting, and to create a more relaxing environment for people to walk into.

They offer food, hot drinks, and support to anyone in need.

Gemma Bush, the hub co-ordinator, said the cafés will be operating on a 9am to 5pm basis until the new year.

Setup for the Ipswich branch is nearly complete, with the Bury café awaiting a kitchen installation, although the services are available immediately.

Gemma said: “We will offer support from 10am to 10pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year to adults in need.

“Our aim is to break down barriers and encourage people to talk about their mental health more, but to also provide an environment where people can chill out, take a minute, and think.”

The hubs offer one-to-one sessions for patients, but also have a rolling list of events and activities people can attend.

These include art and music therapy sessions, community meals, peer therapy sessions, training and team-building exercises.

They also perform regular check-ups on clients to ensure they are well.

Each person will begin with a face-to-face assessment, which helps the team personalise a care plan.

The trust believes this sort of service is important as people sometimes struggle to get check-ups through GPs.

It also runs cafés in Thetford, Gorleston, near Lowestoft, and King’s Lynn.

When full service begins, drop-in sessions will be available from 10am to 4pm, with evening sessions and emergency help from 6pm until 10pm.

Gemma added: “It’s tough for everybody right now with the cost-of-living, which can lead to mental decline, so we want people to have access to a service whenever they may need it.

“What we want people to know is that we’re here if they need us, and we have a host of community events happening in the new year.”