Cup of tea.
A chat.
We can help with that.
Selby's local mental health drop-in centre and a growing network of trained venues across town. No referral, no waiting list, no awkward forms. Just someone on the other end of the line who knows where you are.
Four ways in. Same warm room.
The Centre
Our local team are on the line Monday to Friday. If we're busy with another call, you'll be routed to Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust so you're never left holding.
A long time ago, the thing I needed most was the price of a brew.
My mental health wasn't great. My friends were brilliant, they'd meet me whenever, but always in a cafe. And there were weeks I just couldn't afford the cup of tea I needed to sit down with them.
So we made up a motto: "Cup of tea and a chat? We can help with that." What if a network of cafes had staff trained in mental health first aid? What if someone could just walk in?
Then COVID happened, and that network mattered more than ever. So we built it, properly. Today, with our local NHS Trust, that idea is a drop-in and a town full of trained ears. We'll make the tea. We'll do the listening.
Selby's listeners, trained up and already in the room.
We train the people you already see every week, baristas, shopkeepers, GP receptionists, librarians, leisure-centre staff, vicars, so that hard days meet kind ears in any corner of town.
Mental Health First Aid
Spot it, sit with it, signpost it. The basics, done well, by people on the ground.
Suicide Prevention
Hard conversations done with care, not panic. Plain language, no scripts.
Safeguarding
Knowing what to do, who to ring, and what stays in the room.
"We'll make the tea. We'll do the listening."
— The Big Communitea Centre
The bit where most people say "…but".
I'm not sure it's bad enough.
Then it's exactly the right time. You don't need a crisis to deserve a chat. A hard week counts.
What if no one answers?
We're a small charity and we try our best. If the line's busy, you'll be put through to Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust's helpline.
I'm not from Selby.
Ring anyway. We'll listen. We may not know the best local services for your area, but we won't leave you with nothing.
I'd rather not phone.
Drop into the Centre on Abbey Walk during the day, or pop into one of our partner venues across town.
