CALMcuppa
Coffee mornings are an easy way of getting people together! With no agenda apart from developing relationships within our community.
How did we get started?
As a Head Teacher and a resident of St Ives, Matt Finch’s vision for CALMtown really resonated with me. Managing concerns for both children and parents with regards to mental health is a very big part of what we do in schools nowadays. Some of these needs can be very serious and so we help families to seek further professional support. For others, it can be a feeling of isolation in their community or just never seeming to have the time or place to have a chat and get things off of their chest. This is what our CALMcuppa mornings can provide.
What did we do?
Coffee mornings are an easy way to bring people together with no agenda apart from developing relationships within our community. So, at Eastfield Infant and Nursery School, we invited our parents in for an hour once a month for a drink, a cake and a chat.
This has helped to strengthen relationships between parents and the group that attend regularly are incredibly supportive of each other. Some are fairly new to the school and the area and so making these links has helped them to find their place within the community. It’s been easy to organise and has led to some wonderful conversations.
What could you do?
If you run a business would it be beneficial to get your staff together once a month for a chat over a drink and a cake? Maybe you run a shop, pub or eatery in town and would like to organise a CALMcuppa morning for the residents in St Ives? Perhaps you run an exercise class or club - instead of everyone heading straight off at the end of the session, why not stick the kettle on and see who can stay for a CALMcuppa and a chat?
Holding a coffee morning anywhere is dead simple and could be invaluable to someone wanting a bit of human connection or just being able to laugh their woes away!
