Mental health charity Mind opens cafe in Bridgwater
The mental health charity Mind has opened a cafe in Somerset which will also operate as a community centre.
The hope is the new service in Bridgwater will help pay for itself rather than rely on external funding.
Manager Di Monaghan said: "We're trying to provide this cafe and activities alongside it so that everyone can be helped."
The cafe's services include self-help groups, education and training, leisure activities and counselling sessions.
"There is a lot depression at the moment with job cuts and the economic climates, people are having problems with housing, heating and financial problems generally.
"We're hoping that this will be an affordable place to come, we've got the Citizens Advice Bureau coming in, a credit union, and a heating charity - as it's supposed to be a really cold winter," said Ms Monaghan.
The charity's previous centre in Bridgwater was a drop-in centre for people with serious mental health problems but funding was cut.
"This is a route in to keep providing those services for the people we used to work with so they will have a space of their own but this will also be for the general community to use," she added.