Sparky’s Is A New Café With A Difference

Published on: 15 Aug, 2016
Updated on: 20 Aug, 2016

Another new café has opened in Guildford – but with a difference!

Sparky’s is based at Farnham Road Hospital, open to all, and is staffed by young people with mental health problems.

It has been set up as non-for-profit social enterprise by the Richmond Fellowship, a charity organisation with more of 55 years of experience in mental health recovery.

Its commitment is to help people to recovery from their mental health or misuse of substances problems.

Maria Ruiz, team leader with Richmond Fellowship’s Recovery Focus programme, said: “Sparky’s café is a very nice place where people can enjoy delicious food made under high standards of food hygiene and wonderful customer service.

“Currently we are training five volunteers with mental health problems, helping them to develop their skills in catering, customer service, organisation and admin fields. We are doing really great but still we need a lot of help to make this project sustainable.

“I’m planning to offer workshops (yoga, food and mood, art) and organise events connected with wellbeing.”

Sparky’s also offers a place where meetings and events can be held with buffet lunches.

It is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and from 9.30am to 3.30pm on Saturdays.

Farnham Road Hospital is a specialist mental health hospital, providing round-the-clock support to adults and older adults experiencing acute mental ill-health as well as housing community mental health and day services.