Peer workers at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) are proud to have launched a new Recovery Café to support patients at a mental health unit in Wickford.
The Recovery Café at Brockfield House is a weekly, patient-led space designed to offer warmth, connection and peer-to-peer support for patients throughout their mental health and addiction treatment journeys.
The idea was created by the Trust’s peer workers, an expanding team of people who use their personal experiences of mental health challenges to support patients and ensure their voice remains at the heart of care.
Every Friday, patients are invited to drop in for refreshments and conversation in a relaxed, stigma-free space focused on wellbeing. They are welcome to stay for the full session or simply pop in for a chat and a cuppa – whatever feels right on the day.
Led by peer workers Louisa, Charles, Dave and Dan, the café offers a space to talk openly with people who truly understand recovery. Weekly affirmations guide gentle discussions around hope and healing, peer workers share their lived experiences and guest speakers join to talk about their own journeys.
Dan Buck, Peer Worker at EPUT, said: “The Recovery Café is about creating a space where people feel seen, supported and understood. Recovery isn’t a straight line, and no one should have to walk it alone. We want patients to know that this café belongs to them – a place to talk, connect, or simply be themselves with a warm drink in hand. We’re incredibly excited to welcome people through the door.”
The Recovery Café has kindly been supported by Tesco, whose Community Champion has donated coffee, tea and biscuits to help create a welcoming and comforting environment for all who attend.
The café is part of a wider recovery programme at Brockfield House, called the Recovery College. The Recovery College is a supportive educational space where patients learn new skills and knowledge alongside peers and professionals, helping them to take an active, empowered role in their treatment journey. The college programme includes pet therapy, educational sessions, spirituality groups, talent groups, breath work, arts and crafts, music lessons, horticulture groups and more.