At the Centre
Brew it, serve it, sit with it
Volunteers run the counter, plate up lunches, lead bingo and craft, and make sure nobody sits on their own for long.
Mon to Fri, Abbey Walk
Learn more →
Our story
A charity built on cuppas, kindness and second chances.
The Big Communitea Centre is a Selby based mental health charity. Everything we do, the drop in communitea centre, the centre, the furniture shop that funds the lot, is here to look after the wellbeing of people in Selby and the surrounding area.
Recognised byBBC Radio York · Make a Difference Awards
Why we exist
We're a registered mental health charity in Selby (no. 1188592) with a stubborn belief, that no one should have to face a wobbly day, a heavy week or a long night on their own.
So we built three doors into the same idea, each one a route to better mental wellbeing. A centre where you can drop in for a brew and a chat. Trips, classes and community that turn a hard week into a softer one. And a furniture shop that turns a donated sofa into another hour of someone listening. Three doors, same welcome.
The journey
How The Big Communitea Centre grew, one cup at a time.
The people
Run by people who get it.
Our staff and volunteers have lived experience, either their own, or as carers, partners, parents, friends. That's why nobody who walks through our doors feels like a case file. They feel like someone we've been waiting to meet.
We organise advocacy and advice sessions, connect people to other professionals, and quietly hold space for whatever today looks like.
Our story
From a cuppa, to a centre.
2017
Pay It Forward begins
It started with a simple idea across Selby — pay for a drink or a meal so a stranger could have one too. Kindness, on the house.
2020
Pandemic pivot
When the cafés shut, we built something new, fast. Café owners and our MHFA trainees became call handlers almost overnight.
- Early online support model built with TEWV
- Officially registered as a charity
- Drop-in centre launched
- Calls grew from ~100 a month to over 600 a month in the first year
2022
A shop, a café, and a service user led charity
Three big steps in one year, and all of them led by the people who use our services.
- Opened our first charity shop — affordable furniture and household items for people leaving homelessness or crisis
- Started a drop in café with affordable and free food alongside support
- Grew further as a service user led organisation
2024
Support at scale
Around 56,000 calls answered in a single year, triage, a listening ear, and a bridge to crisis services when it's needed.
- ~56,000 support calls handled annually
- Excellent food hygiene rating
2026
What's next
We're looking at a communitea radio station and growing the wellbeing side of what we do. Watch this space.
Our story
2017
Pay It Forward begins
It started with a simple idea across Selby — pay for a drink or a meal so a stranger could have one too. Kindness, on the house.
01 / 05
Want to be part of the next chapter?
Powered by volunteers
Many hands, one cuppa.
Almost everything we do leans on volunteers. Whether it's a few hours behind the counter, a shift on the drop-in, or lifting a sofa off a van, our team makes Selby a softer place to land.
Out and about
Lifts, events and outreach
From Communitea transport runs to fundraisers and pop ups around Selby, volunteers keep us moving and visible across town.
Flexible hours, across Selby
Learn more →At the Store
Sofas, vans and shop floor
From the till to the van crew, store volunteers turn donated furniture into the funding that keeps every door open.
28 Gowthorpe, Selby
Learn more →What we stand for
Small print, big heart.
01Lived experience
Our team have been on the journey too — personally, or as carers. We listen first.
02No appointment, no judgement
Walk in, sit down, take what you need. A cuppa is always on.
03Selby rooted
We work alongside the NHS, the police and local charities so nobody falls through the gap.
04Circular by design
Donated furniture funds donated time. Nothing wasted, everything reused.
