With Cinnamon’s help, Shore Community Church in Bognor Regis is becoming a hub for wellbeing support in the community.
Shore Community Church in Bognor Regis began developing a Wellbeing Project in 2021 and launched a Wellbeing Café, as the physical hub of the project in June.
Open two days a week, the hub offers a warm and safe place for people to come and just ‘be’.
“We are in contact with a few people who are coming back to the café for support as they feel comfortable in an informal setting and need someone to listen to them,” explains the project leaders
Good news travels fast
The team always planned to start small and find their feet before really promoting the initiative to the community.
But sometimes, great things just take on a life of their own!
“We have done very little advertising. as we wanted to start slowly and build our knowledge and skills,” explain the team.
“And yet people have found us through recommendations, Googling ‘Church Cafes in Bognor’, and through our Facebook page.”
As a result, there are a number of people who come along to the café with a variety of social, emotional, physical and spiritual needs.
Partnership opportunities
The Wellbeing Hub has also been a natural bridge for other groups in the community.
“We have also been pleasantly surprised that a number of pre-existing groups both internal and external to the church have chosen to tie in with the Wellbeing Café,” continue the team.
“We have a bridge club and a ‘Knit & Natter’ group link in already, with a craft group and a table tennis group wanting to link up with the café soon.”
Expansion plans
Through the hub, the team have been able to listen to the specific needs of their community and respond accordingly.
Support and a Micro-Grant from Cinnamon Network have enabled them to expand support and professionalise their services by setting up two Cinnamon Recommended Projects, Renew Wellbeing and Kids Matter.
With more than 20 trained volunteers and 50 beneficiaries, the initiative is meeting a critical need at the heart of the community.
“It’s a blessing to be involved. I love sitting and listening to people’s stories, helping, and signposting,” says one of the project volunteers.
Get started
If your church is interested in setting up a wellbeing space then please, get in touch.
We have plenty of resources and support available to help you build foundations for longterm success.
You might also want to find out more about setting up a Kids Matter programme or a Renew Wellbeing space in your church.
