THE STUDENT BREAKFAST CLUB

The Student Breakfast Club outreach project was launched in 2019 following the realisation that there is little to no community based support for University students, we recognise that a lot of people don’t view university students as vulnerable, but if you are a student, know a student or the parent of a student you will know, only too well, how wrong this view is.

WHERE?

Cardigan Centre

145 Cardigan Road,

Leeds

LS6 1LJ

WHEN?

Saturday 1:00pm - 4:00pm

We know that many students report feeling lonely or homesick, especially at the weekends, but what really shocked us was how many students believed they were alone in how they felt and that everyone but them were having the time of their lives. We know that feelings of loneliness and isolation can also have a negative impact on mental health, so we wanted to do something to help. Prevention is one of our core values, so the aim of the Breakfast Club was simple: connect with students in an environment that is safe and welcoming and take the opportunity to provide information on how to stay well.

We first opened our doors in 2019 with tons of passion but not much clue, we had no way of knowing if students would be interested and if they were would it serve any other purpose than providing a free breakfast butty? Our instincts told us it would and we forged ahead taking a ‘Field of Dreams’ approach, build it and they will come. Fast forward a pandemic, multiple lockdowns, cost of living crisis……

We now welcome over 300 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 brilliant and the room is filled with positivity. We asked some of the student to try and sum up in phrase what it is we are offering, 2 different phrases kept coming up and when put together sum it up perfectly:

“Home From Home” , “Safety Zone”

"From being here today I have felt very comfortable and feel like if I ever felt down, sad, wanted to speak I would feel very confident about coming here. I think this charity will be so beneficial to all years at University and will help in so many ways, Thank you so much"
“Amazing service, It’s lovely to know that there are people out there to support you. Sometimes Uni can be a very isolating place. and its lovely to know you’re not alone. Amazing to feel part of a community. THANK YOU”
“I look forward to it every week. Feel looked after and like someone is always around for a chat”
“Such an amazing way to bring students and the local community together out of uni. Settings - it’s a nice break from the library”
“Good for helping with weekly food, great for money saving and very welcoming!”
“Absolutely love it, it creates a community and makes you feel comfortable”
“Having a place to sit and relax with friends without spending money is amazing- somewhere to not think about uni and work.”
It's a nice place to go to chill and unwind.
“So nice to relax with good food and good people, work can be stressful sometimes”
“Nice to come and relax and be cared for”
“Will bring a bright start to many students’ days and give them a reason to get up in the morning”

Description goes here
“I think it is a really caring environment and it’s nice to be able to chat to people over some food. It’s a nice homely space and its good to get out of the house”
“Great to feel that support is there if needed. Also the smoothies and cakes were great!”
“The people are so nice, this is such a good opportunity and makes my weekend so much brighter”
“I feel at home and well looked after from the second I walk in”
“Helps me to eat properly”
“It is very welcoming and friendly”
“Gives me time to relax in happy and positive environment”
“It puts me in a good mood every Saturday”
“I love it, everyone is very friendly and it puts me in a good mood, its something to look forward to”
“This is a really safe judge free space which will really benefit students that feel alone in an environment like university where people can be at their loneliest”
“Stress free place to come with friends, nice atmosphere”
“It’s nice to be looked after! Especially on a Saturday”
“I look forward to I every Saturday, I feel cared for and well nourished”
“Love it! Relaxing, stress relief, caring”
“Very welcoming and brings people together”
“Nice calm place. Makes a change from being busy Monday to Friday at Uni”
“I have been a few times and it has definitely had a positive impact”
“It is such a positive place to go on my Saturday afternoon, really sets me up for the week ahead”
“The environment is very relaxing and the people are very friendly”
“I think by being in a pleasant welcoming environment it is going to have a positive impact on my mental health”
“It will greatly reduce the stress I have from money and food issues”
“I haven’t done a food shop for over two weeks, this is the first real thing I have eaten in two days’
“ I just wanted to say thank you, I am on my way to a 12 hour shift, for the first time on a full stomach’
“I have been at University for three years and this is the first time I have had a sense of community”

We are always looking out for volunteers to help us! Anything is appreciated and isn’t mandatory as we understand that life can get in the way sometimes.

If you’re interested and believe in what we do here at the charity, we look forward to hearing from you!

PROMOTE

•

PREVENT

•

PRESSURE

•

PROMOTE • PREVENT • PRESSURE •

THE STUDENT BREAKFAST CLUB

WHERE?

Cardigan Centre

145 Cardigan Road,

Leeds

LS6 1LJ

WHEN?

Saturday 1:00pm - 4:00pm

"From being here today I have felt very comfortable and feel like if I ever felt down, sad, wanted to speak I would feel very confident about coming here. I think this charity will be so beneficial to all years at University and will help in so many ways, Thank you so much"

“Amazing service, It’s lovely to know that there are people out there to support you. Sometimes Uni can be a very isolating place. and its lovely to know you’re not alone. Amazing to feel part of a community. THANK YOU”

“I look forward to it every week. Feel looked after and like someone is always around for a chat”

“Such an amazing way to bring students and the local community together out of uni. Settings - it’s a nice break from the library”

“Good for helping with weekly food, great for money saving and very welcoming!”

“Absolutely love it, it creates a community and makes you feel comfortable”

“Having a place to sit and relax with friends without spending money is amazing- somewhere to not think about uni and work.”

It's a nice place to go to chill and unwind.

“So nice to relax with good food and good people, work can be stressful sometimes”

“Nice to come and relax and be cared for”

“Will bring a bright start to many students’ days and give them a reason to get up in the morning”

“I think it is a really caring environment and it’s nice to be able to chat to people over some food. It’s a nice homely space and its good to get out of the house”

“Great to feel that support is there if needed. Also the smoothies and cakes were great!”

“The people are so nice, this is such a good opportunity and makes my weekend so much brighter”

“I feel at home and well looked after from the second I walk in”

“Helps me to eat properly”

“It is very welcoming and friendly”

“Gives me time to relax in happy and positive environment”

“It puts me in a good mood every Saturday”

“I love it, everyone is very friendly and it puts me in a good mood, its something to look forward to”

“This is a really safe judge free space which will really benefit students that feel alone in an environment like university where people can be at their loneliest”

“Stress free place to come with friends, nice atmosphere”

“It’s nice to be looked after! Especially on a Saturday”

“I look forward to I every Saturday, I feel cared for and well nourished”

“Love it! Relaxing, stress relief, caring”

“Very welcoming and brings people together”

“Nice calm place. Makes a change from being busy Monday to Friday at Uni”

“I have been a few times and it has definitely had a positive impact”

“It is such a positive place to go on my Saturday afternoon, really sets me up for the week ahead”

“The environment is very relaxing and the people are very friendly”

“I think by being in a pleasant welcoming environment it is going to have a positive impact on my mental health”

“It will greatly reduce the stress I have from money and food issues”

“I haven’t done a food shop for over two weeks, this is the first real thing I have eaten in two days’

“ I just wanted to say thank you, I am on my way to a 12 hour shift, for the first time on a full stomach’

“I have been at University for three years and this is the first time I have had a sense of community”

We are always looking out for volunteers to help us! Anything is appreciated and isn’t mandatory as we understand that life can get in the way sometimes.

If you’re interested and believe in what we do here at the charity, we look forward to hearing from you!