TWO mums who met on a business course are putting learning into practice by opening their own café with a focus on mental health.
Samantha Othen and Sarah Jones enrolled on a council-backed course in January and decided to put their personal and professional experiences together as a way of creating a business and supporting the community.
They have now been granted planning permission to open their Mindful Munch café at the Community Hall in Pontrhydyrun Road in Pontnewydd, Cwmbran.
Mental health
The café is the brainchild of 31-year-old mother of one Ms Jones, from Cwmbran, who has previous experience in hospitality and who wanted a a welcoming space for people experiencing mental health difficulties, while former highflier Ms Othen wanted to help others after her own experience of perimenopause.
The 46-year-old mum of two, also from Cwmbran, said: “We both had the idea we wanted to do something to help people with mental health. I had been through perimenopause and had a little anxiety from that.
“I used to work in sales for BT for 21 years before taking redundancy and thought, what do I want to be doing? I’d been in sales, making rich people richer, and wanted to do anything to help people and with mental health as I’d been there personally.
“Sarah came up with the idea for a café.”
Ms Jones said her plan has been “shaped by my own lived experience and a deep passion for creating a safe, welcoming space for our community” and wanted to combine “good food with mental health support”.
‘Connect, talk and feel understood’
She added: “It will be a place where people can connect, talk and feel understood without judgement.
“During my own journey with mental health, I realised how important it is to have spaces that offer both nourishment and emotional support.”
Ms Othen said the pair wanted a be away from the busy “hub” of the town centre and the 9am to 3pm weekday opening hours fit in with their commitments as mums and making use of times the community hall, which will continue to operate, is normally closed.
It is also intended to work with mental health charities to offer workshops and support sessions.
29 letters of support and six objections
Torfaen Borough Council, which granted change of use planning permission to allow the cafe to operate from the hall, received 29 letters of support and six objections, mainly related to car parking.
The planning department said there were no objections from the highways officer, who said there is sufficient parking for users of the hall and adjoining sports facility, while the cafe’s weekday opening means there will be no impact on weekend parking.
An opening date for the café has yet to be announced.