More Head Room after revamp
▶ HEAD ROOM in Golders Green, the Jami charity’s café and mental health support venue, has fully reopened following a major expansion and revamp.
To allow more space for Jami activities and increased collaboration with other organisations, the café has been extended into the next door premises.
“Ultimately, we just needed to make the area bigger and better so that many more people in the community can benefit from everything the café has to offer,” chief executive Laurie Rack-ind
explained. “It’s a real community hub on the high street — a place where people can walk in off the street to get mental health support while others sit down to eat shakshuka.”
Head Room’s in-person and online community programme operates from Monday to Friday with the goal of improving mental wellbeing. Activities range from discussion groups to a weekly art class.
Many of the groups are facilitated by Karen Conway, who said a primary objective was to “reduce isolation and loneliness by bringing people together. We’re about building connections and relationships.”
And the general clientele can support those who are struggling financially, or maybe just having a difficult day, through its “pay it forward” scheme, purchasing a hot drink, soup or sandwich for an anonymous beneficiary.
There are also plans to set up a book-swap facility and community library on the premises. On the commercial side, the café’s larger capacity will make it more attractive for private events and catered business meetings.
Mr Rackind believes that the Head Room brand is changing the way the community thinks about mental health and the charity will start construction on the development of its Mill site once planning permission is obtained.
There is also the charity’s mobile offering, Head Room to Go, which is available for hire and visits to schools and shuls.
Some receive mental health support. Others come for shakshuka