Ventnor RFC has donated £250 to The Better Days Café, which provides breakfasts and lunches for children in the school holidays.
In a brief ceremony, Ventnor RFC donated £250 to Kirsty Chapman, who opened the café in the spring of 2022. The money was raised when the rugby club was used as a marshalling post and feeding station in May’s cycling Randonnee.
Kirsty Chapman set up The Better Days Cafe to act as a hub for the social needs of Ventnor, so it’s particularly apt that it is situated in the old Central Hotel. The cafe provides a pathway to employment for people with mental health and learning disabilities as well as acting as a signpost for people to seek assistance for mental health issues and benefits advice.
Kirsty Chapman has said:
“People with these issues and learning disabilities are invisible, often feeling socially excluded and lonely. A large number of these people will never have worked, worn a uniform or felt part of a team.
The Better Days Cafe aims to train and offer work to these people promoting inclusion and alleviating loneliness.”
When Jonathan Frost, the Bishop of Portsmouth, visited The Better Days Cafe recently, he was so impressed that he recommended that all towns should follow the example.
Lovely welcoming place, friendly staff with great coffee.