BREAKFAST CLUB

We know that many students report feeling lonely or homesick, especially at the weekend, so we wanted to do something to help. Prevention is one of our core values, as we understand how important it is to our physical and mental wellbeing. Our aim when we started the Breakfast Club was to establish a place that students could socialise that didn’t cost a lot or involve alcohol. We opened the doors of the Student Breakfast Club in October 2019 and we have been at the Cardigan Centre in Headingley every Saturday afternoon since. The club is run entirely by volunteers who vary in age from current students to parents and grandparents.

For the first few weeks we went out onto the street and invited students in for a breakfast sandwich, as word spread, the number of students coming to Breakfast Club grew. We now welcome over a hundred students a week! It is fair to say that the Breakfast Club is even better than we imagined, students tell us they look forward to coming and the feedback we have received has been overwhelmingly positive. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming, students come to meet their friends, make new friends, play board games, listen to music, and of course enjoy lots of lovely food. It is also a perfect opportunity to share advice and information about ways to protect our mental wellbeing.