IT may have been set up by accident, but the Community Wellbeing Café at St Andrew’s Hall in Skipton is providing a huge boost to the community, thanks to a band of volunteers.

The weekly sessions have provided a sanctuary for dozens of people since it was launched in the summer of 2018. Even when the pandemic meant normal services had to be suspended, the volunteers still found ways to support those who used it.

Those involved had not intended to operate a café, but were galvanised into action when a previous group operating a similar project from St Andrew’s church hall found themselves without funding and had to close.

With similar facilities lacking in the town, the Wellbeing Café inevitably became a reality, with a core group of volunteers driving the project forwards, with financial support from North Yorkshire County Council to get the project off the ground.

Visitor numbers quickly mushroomed from a handful to an average of around 50 - sometimes more - before the pandemic brought sessions to a close.

Many attendees were alone and some had significant wellbeing needs, so the team devised a system of using ‘helpers’, volunteers present to spot new arrivals within seconds of walking through the door, to ensure they were given a proper welcome, engaged in conversation and made to feel part of the event.

The café also has worked well in tandem with Pioneer Projects supporting wellbeing through art and craft sessions, allowing visitors to move from one to the other as well as to join in with board games, jigsaws, puzzle books and a quiet corner.

Covid-19 meant Pioneer Projects’ art sessions quickly moved online as lockdowns kicked in, but the café continued in another guise.

Food parcels were organised through Skipton Food Bank for those who had been attending, allowing for distanced conversation when they arrived to pick them up, or have them delivered.

Phone calls were also used to help maintain social contact - and ensure cafe users’ needs were being met through the height of the crisis.

Peter Smith, leader of the team of core volunteers who set up the café, said: “There were some folk in the previous group, we understood, who had various wellbeing and other issues.

“We had discussions with the county council and came up with a plan for a café.”

St Andrew’s agreed to accommodate the café and the project was supported with a hybrid combination of support from churches in the area, funding itself through donations for the food and drinks prepared by the kitchen staff.

Now the pandemic restrictions are lifting, the group has begun to hold outdoor meetings again and it is hoped to return to the familiar full-scale indoor meetings as circumstances permit.

In the meantime, these sessions are taking place to allow those who benefit from the company available to meet face to face, whatever the weather.

“We do what we can to ensure people feel welcome as friends,” he said.

“The café is not so much about providing services; we care about people, we just care about them,” he said.

In addition to the ‘helpers’ there to make visitors feel at home, the café has also had staff from other organisations in, to offer information and guidance on dealing with issues such as debt, education, addiction, employment, mental health and dementia.

“It is just a little information, so people know who they can talk to about certain things,” he said.

“There is a very friendly and positive atmosphere in the café and that is something we want to revive. It is not a formal setting,” he said.

Volunteer Steve Carter became involved after visiting the café and said the experience had given him “a sense of pride and honour”.

He visited after becoming jobless and got into the habit of helping, becoming gradually more involved with both the café and other community activities.

“I was enjoying myself and taking more of a part in the community. It has re-enforced the fact that people need communication, to physically see each other.

“It has given me a sense of pride and honour and taught me about myself. We have helped each other as a collective,” he said.

A café user for the last 18 months said she had been introduced after struggling with alcohol and found the sessions helpful.

“I just wanted to get to meet people in the local area. I came along 18 months ago and I really enjoy coming and having a chat.

“It is a safe environment, friendly and welcoming,” she said.