The Harpenden Trust
People: Improving people’s mental wellbeing
The Harpenden Trust is opening a community café staffed by volunteers in our new Southdown building above the Co-op. The Well Bean Café is a complementary and integral part of our Wellbeing hub work.
About this cause
The Harpenden Trust is a local charity supporting our local community, run entirely by local volunteers. We have been supporting our Harpenden community for over 70 years. Currently involving over 500 volunteers, we are funded by the generosity of the people of Harpenden, to provide support for individuals, families and young people. The Harpenden Trust has sought to be a source of local support for anyone across our Harpenden community who needs help – whatever their age, whatever their background. The simple underlying principle behind the Trust is being a good neighbour. The Trust offers readily accessible, practical support – either by providing access to our range of core services and activities, or by signposting people towards relevant local expertise.
How this cause brings people in the community together
The creation of a community café, the Well Bean Café, will give our wellbeing and befriending clients the opportunity to meet up in a welcoming community space. The Harpenden Trust's Wellbeing initiative has been developed in partnership with our three local GP surgeries and MIND. Initiatives include the Frazzled Café (providing a safe confidential and non-judgemental environment for people who are feeling overwhelmed with modern life); the Memory Lane Café (welcoming people with dementia and a family member); and the Arts on Prescription programme (given the arts have an important contribution to make to health and wellbeing). Our long-standing Befriending service, offering companionship to anyone who seeks it, also continues to grow and thrive, now reaching around 100 local residents.