Sunderland cafe providing counselling and wellbeing services to city residents

(GIF – GIPHY)

December 25 is arguably the happiest day of the year. From the rush of excitement pulsing through your body when you are ripping apart the thin, smooth wrap to reveal what lies underneath, to the explosion of Christmas dinner juices whirling in the mouth, to the fire roaring while sitting comfortably with family around the TV. Christmas Day spawns yearly memories.

(GIF – GIPHY)

However, for the Lynns, Christmas Day 2017 was far from joyous and is something they are not keen to remember.

The six-foot, seven-inch 25-year-old Steven Jr, the son of Sunderland businessman Steven Lynn and his ex Kelly and stepson to Lynsay, had been complaining about feeling poorly. He visited the hospital to get checked out on December 23. But two days later, at his dad and stepmum’s festive dinner, his health worsened. He spent the rest of Christmas Day and the next 23 days hospitalised. Unknown to them, that was the final Christmas for the “gentle giant” and the last time he would be at home with his family. Steven Jr tragically died on January 17, 2018, after contracting pneumonia and then influenza B.

But Steven Jr was not the only person his family was grieving. In 2016, Steven lost his dad, Kenny, and then his mum, Jean, in 2017. With the passing of three loved ones in a short timeframe, the businessman turned to a private grief counsellor, and that is when the idea of a counselling cafe to help Sunderland's residents first struck.

(Image – Steven Lynn)

Breathing a new life into the former Elizabeth’s Restaurant building on Bridge Street, Betsy Jenny Counselling and Wellbeing Cafe, a bright, cheery and relaxing environment, properly welcomed the city’s residents with open arms in late January 2022 after a rollercoaster of a launch.

It was a “massive sigh of relief” and a “proud moment” for Steven when the first guests stepped foot into the warm, friendly atmosphere that the cafe pumps out because the ethos of the place is to help people.

(Video – Ethan Aaron Banks)

“The longer it was not open, the longer it was we could not help people." – Steven Lynn

(Image – Ethan Aaron Banks)

(Video – Ethan Aaron Banks)

(Video – Ethan Aaron Banks)

Solely run by volunteers, the buzzing community hub is a place where individuals can access a range of mental health support services, take part in various wellbeing activities or feast on a delicious healthy meal.

Betsy Jenny Counselling and Wellbeing Cafe offers a free listening ear service where – if a team member is available – those who have concerns or worries can just come in there and then and talk about their issue privately and confidentially in one of the three counselling rooms.

Counselling room one (360 image – Ethan Aaron Banks)

Counselling room two (360 image – Ethan Aaron Banks)

Counselling room three (360 image – Ethan Aaron Banks)

The meeting room (360 image – Ethan Aaron Banks)

In addition, the collaboration between the unique cafe and a handful of local charities and mental health services means professional counsellors and therapists are coming in to use the excellent facilities.

However, there is currently a low-cost charge for those who wish to pop in and speak to a counsellor. But once the cafe secures funding on the counselling side, this service will also become free.

The desire to enable free counselling to those who need it most played a part in the reasoning behind the businessman’s choice to open up the city’s only counselling and wellbeing cafe.

“I was fortunate enough to pay for my counselling – many people cannot do that. Otherwise, it is a long waiting list and many forms to fill in. Sometimes that is probably too late for people,” he says.

The team at Betsy Jenny would be grateful for donations – which will go towards the counselling services they hope to run in the future – because it is “not a cheap project” to run, and because the cafe is less than a year old, they cannot attract any major funding.

“I’ve had to pay for everything myself. I cannot pay for the likes of counsellor’s wages at the moment,” Steven stated.

He continues: “If we can raise money in the background by funding throughout the community, then we hope we can.”

But at a time when the cafe is alive and kicking, many residents across the city and beyond are living in a state of crisis due to the ever-rising cost of living.

(Image – Alamy)

Data from Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows UK residents are feeling more anxious since the start of the cost of living crisis in late 2021.

In response to the struggles Sunderland residents face with paying energy bills, the city council joined forces and handed grants to “voluntary and community sector partners” to create 62 warm spaces, meaning the city’s people will have somewhere to go to keep warm during the bitter winter season.

Councillor Linda Williams, Sunderland City Council’s Cabinet Member for Vibrant City, said: “Many of our warm spaces are housed in venues with a long-standing community role, such as libraries, churches and community centres.

“This is very much about creating and building up hubs to support residents within communities – not just warm spaces, but places to learn new skills, reduce isolation and loneliness and improve health and wellbeing.”

And because Betsy Jenny’s mission is to reduce isolation, loneliness and improve health and wellbeing, they have been named one of the 62 warm spaces in Sunderland.

Discussing how the cafe is helping those at a time of crisis thanks to the Warm Space grant, Steven said: “People are coming in on certain days – Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.”

“We can give them a free cuppa, a free soup, and they can just sit and get warm in our cafe and meet new people.”

He added: “Currently, on Fridays after 12, anybody can come in and get a meal for free. We will give them an envelope, and if they are able to donate, they can. If they cannot, that is fair enough. They will still get the meal for free.”

The thought of raising awareness for mental health, the mental health of chefs and giving to the community hooked the experienced caterer into working at the unique Bridge Street cafe.

Here, Ryan reveals the new healthy “hearty food” menu, coming to Betsy Jenny Counselling and Wellbeing Cafe.

(Video – Ethan Aaron Banks)

24-year-old Ryan is the new head chef at the cafe. He is constantly brimming with innovative ideas to keep waste low and the healthy menu fresh.

(Image – Ethan Aaron Banks)

(Image – Ethan Aaron Banks)

(Image – Steven Lynn)

Steven’s mum was a “generous” character;

(Image – Steven Lynn)

his dad was a “helpful” person;

(Image – Steven Lynn)

Steven Jr, well, he “was a bit of a one-off”.

The traits associated with the businessman’s departed are exactly what Betsy Jenny Counselling and Wellbeing Cafe means to the people of Sunderland.

“As long as we help even just a handful of people, it will all have been worth it,” he says. “And up to now, we have done that, so I am very proud of the fact.”

The cafe is crowdfunding to continue its mission to help others within the city and the surrounding areas with their wellbeing needs. To donate, visit the Betsy Jenny Counselling and Wellbeing Cafe’s JustGiving page.

To find out more about the cafe, visit www.betsyjennywellbeingcafe.co.uk.