What is Renew HG1?
Renew HG1 is one of the 100+ Renew Wellbeing café style spaces, inspired by the umbrella organisation Renew Wellbeing, who help churches around the country offer an outlet to promote both emotional and mental wellbeing. Renew HG1 is hosted by Harrogate Baptist Church.

There are 3 key aspects to all Renew Wellbeing spaces:

Being present - we want Renew HG1 to be a respectful and quiet space where everyone feels welcomed and accepted. But also, a shared environment. There are no ‘clients’ but hosts and regulars - everyone has struggles and each of us needs to attend to our wellbeing.  We recognise that every person who comes through the door has gifts of head, hands and heart to share with others, where we can each both give and receive because we’re in this together.

Being prayerful - at the heart of Renew HG1 is a simple pattern of reflective prayer and Christian meditation, to make space for the spiritual aspect of wellbeing. Everyone is welcome to join our short meditations, but there is absolutely no obligation.

 Being in partnership - we’re not a service and we’re not qualified professionals or trained counsellors so we value and need partnership with mental health and other services, charities and organisations to help us be a quiet, valued, safe outlet, useful for and used by the community. We also want to have lots of helpful signposting information where additional help can be provided, if required. If you’re in this field and want to know more about partnership working we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch by emailing renewhg1@gmail.com so we can discuss how we may be able to work together.

We need ambassadors!
Renew HG1 needs people to bring folk along whom they know that may feel isolated, lonely or want to increase their sense of wellbeing. It can be a huge challenge to get out of the house and walking into a new environment can be simply too daunting. Why not bring someone along for coffee and treat or to take part in an activity? Your actions may make a significant difference.

Why Renew HG1?
Mental health illness was on the rise even before the pandemic and recent statistics show that 1 in 4 people suffer from a mental health problem at some point in their life. We want to explore ways of reaching out to those in our community who are suffering and provide an outlet for them to come to and feel supported. We also want to promote wellbeing in all our everyday lives and increase our own sense of emotional health.   

Partnering with Renew Wellbeing seemed like the best way to achieve this and we have been working alongside them since June 2021 to launch the project.  We are also delighted to have the support of North Yorkshire County Council who have provided funding to help with the initial set up costs of the project.

When is Renew HG1 open and where is it?  
Renew HG1 officially launched on Monday 13th September and runs every week from 10.30am-12 noon here in our community hall.  You can find Renew HG1 at Harrogate Baptist Church Community Hall, Marlborough Road entrance, Harrogate HG1 5AL.  

Who is Renew HG1 for?
Renew HG1 is for anyone but is particularly relevant if you are an adult who:

• needs to see some friendly faces on a regular basis,
• is feeling lonely, anxious, isolated or worried
• wants to take part in something
• would like to have somewhere to go
• is experiencing mental health difficulties

What happens at Renew HG1?
It's really up to you in terms of what you want to take part in, but at every session, there will always be:

• a warm welcome and friendly smile for you
• free tea, filter coffee and treats for you to enjoy
• a quiet area if you just want to reflect
• newspapers to read
• colouring and a craft table to have a go at, if you're feeling creative
• puzzle and games if you want to test your brain
• someone to listen if you do want to chat
• the opportunity to take part in a short 10 minute reflection time around 11.15am.  This is entirely optional.  

Response to Common Concerns
Having learnt from experience and other Renew spaces we know it can be daunting trying something new and going somewhere for the first time. Here are some things we hope will help put your mind at ease.

1. I don’t know where to go and I get anxious going to somewhere I’ve never been before.You’ll be able to recognise the cafe entrance by our Renew HG1 outdoor banner and we’ll have someone on the door at our Marlborough Road entrance (the blue door), ready to welcome you on your arrival.
2. I’m scared of new surroundings and I don’t know what to expect. There’s lots of space and a relaxed atmosphere in the cafe. We'll happily email some pictures, if you'd like to see the venue before coming or show you around outside of the main session, if that would be helpful.  
3. I’m worried about Covid. We follow all the latest Government advice and regulations around Covid-19 so you know we’ll be doing all that we can to keep everybody safe in the current environment. All of our hosts are also DBS checked.
4. If I come I think I’ll have to talk and share with hosts and other visitors. There is no obligation for you to talk or share anything you don’t want to. We have a quiet table for those who just want to be in a calming environment but equally if you do just fancy a chat and a bit of company we can provide that too. You can simply come to be yourself and nothing is compulsory.
5. I’ve never been in a church and don’t want to preached to. Yes our space is in a church hall, but it really is open to anyone; those of no faith or any faith. Just think of our space as somewhere with four walls to grab a coffee where there will always be a warm welcome and no hidden agenda.
6. Just thinking about coming sends me into a spin and makes me anxious. Even building up the courage to think about coming is an amazing step, we’re so pleased to have you reading this information. If it gets too much or you’d prefer to just email or phone, you can reach us on renewhg1@gmail.com or 01423 530514

Renew HG1 testimonials 

Here are just a few examples of feedback we've received from those who attend our session:

“I’ve been so grateful for Renew HG1 this past year. It’s helped me get through some difficult times.”

“I’m so glad I found Renew HG1. It’s the one place I always want to come every week and I try my best not to miss a session. I love it so much because the people there are very kind and welcoming. Their warm smiles give me exactly what I need to see.”

“I come to Renew HG1 just to chat. I love talking to people and this group has given me the opportunity to do what I love.”

If you have any questions or want to know more about Renew HG1 we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch: renewhg1@gmail.com 01423 530514.