Yor Community Wellbeing Hub has extended its opening hours and widened its range of drop-in support and activities, with its hub at Acomb Garth now open 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday.
The extended hours are part of the hub’s progress towards its long-term aim of opening 24/7. The current weekly schedule at Acomb Garth runs as follows: drop-in sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am to 8pm; appointments only on Tuesday and Thursday, also 8am to 8pm; drop-in from 8am to 5pm on Saturday, followed by appointments only from 5pm to 8pm; and closed on Sunday.
Four new drop-in groups have been added during the extended hours. The Greenshoots Gardening Group meets every Friday from 1pm to 3pm, welcoming anyone to help plant, weed or maintain the hub’s outside space, whether experienced or new to gardening; donations of garden tools, plants and pots are also welcomed.
A fortnightly Walking Group now runs on Thursdays from 1pm to 2pm, offering a gentle, sociable walk from the hub, often to West Bank Park or similar local routes. A Weekly Quiz runs every Friday from 6pm to 7pm, and an Activities Session, offering a range of wellbeing-focused activities, runs every Wednesday from 11am to 1pm.
The York Mental Health Partnership co-chairs, Professor Lynne Gabriel OBE and Dr Steve Wright, said: “The vision of everyone involved in setting up the hubs is developing as planned. At the heart of the hubs are opportunities for people to improve and maintain their mental health in a welcoming, familiar environment.”
Councillor Lucy Steels-Walshaw, executive member for health and adult social care at City of York Council, said: “This hub, co-produced with partners and residents with lived experience, is helping deliver accessible, practical advice and activities to support people’s wellbeing. The extended opening hours mean we can now add new informal groups to expand the overall offer at Acomb Garth, which will make even more of a positive difference to those who visit this hugely valued service on the west side of the city.”
More information about the hub and what it offers is available at yorcommunitywellbeinghub.org.
