Edinburgh coffee shop Hopetown Cafe opened by mental health charity Change Mental Health at Broughton Street

National mental health charity Change Mental Health has opened its first not-for-profit coffee shop, Hopetown Coffee, on Edinburgh’s Broughton Street.

The new enterprise arm of the charity, which is Edinburgh’s first coffee shop raising awareness of mental illness and mental health, allows people to purchase their daily coffee and cake knowing that their money is going directly to helping people affected by poor mental health.

Nick Ward, CEO at Change Mental Health, said: “Hopetown Coffee is everything that Change Mental Health is about: providing hope and support in communities in a non-stigmatising way. When creating Hopetown Coffee, we wanted to shift the dial on what a not-for-profit coffee shop should be like.

"We won’t compromise on quality of coffee, food or ambiance and every single penny made will be reinvested back into helping people across Scotland who are needing support with their mental health.”

The charity says that enjoying a coffee with Hopetown Coffee can look after both customers own and other’s mental health. The new coffee shop will raise awareness of Change Mental Health and the work that it does supporting over 7,000 people across Scotland every year. As well as changing attitudes and fighting stigma around mental illness, the charity will reinvest profits from Hopetown Coffee back into providing mental health services to more people across Scotland.

Nick added: "Hopetown Coffee believes in supporting local businesses and works with local suppliers such as Santu Coffee and Brose Oats to provide great, high quality artisan coffee with an emphasis on sustainability. This new venture ensures that it’s a tempting place to visit no matter what drink is ordered, with milk alternatives and a diverse range of other tasty offerings.

"The coffee shop also offers a ‘one on us’ policy where customers can purchase a coffee for someone that might be having a difficult time with their mental health, as well as a loyalty scheme and lots of information about mental illness and mental health."

Change Mental Health provides mental health support on the same street, at their drop-in community hub called the Stafford Centre, and works across Scotland to improve the quality of life for those affected by mental illness.