Meet… The Cellar Trust, Bradford

by Tamsin Scott

Who are The Cellar Trust?

In the lovely warm surroundings of Bread + Roses cafe, I met with Georgia Scott from The Cellar Trust, a Bradford based charity that has been around for 30 years, providing mental health support to people over the age of 16. The Cellar Trust provides a number of different services, ranging from a crisis and employment services, to a cafe and charity shop staffed by users of the charity. We discussed how their services can be useful to those at risk of, or experiencing homelessness, and how the public can help get involved with the charity.

Can you tell us a bit about The Cellar Trust?

Sure! We’re a charity based in Bradford and the surrounding areas that provides a range of mental health support to anybody aged over 16. There are three major departments within The Cellar Trust – the Crisis Service (known as Haven), the Employment Service and the Wellbeing Service (or Being Well, as we like to call it). All of our services are completely free, and accessible to a wide range of people.

That’s brilliant! Could you tell me a bit more about the services you offer?

Of course! Haven, our crisis service, is accessible 365 days a year, and runs 10am to 6pm.* This is accessible through First Response, who can be contacted at 01274 221181. This service is a non-clinical, supportive environment designed to help people in crisis stay safe, work through and understand their feelings, and then support them to access the support they need going forward. You can self-refer to this service, and no permanent address is needed – we believe that whatever you do, you should be able to seek help.

The Employment service is for anybody over 18 who is struggling to find work, has lost their job due to mental health issues, or wants to gain confidence when trying to access employment. We offer a number of different clubs and workshops that help get you ready for employment, such as IT club, Job Club and Employment Workshops. There are also a number of volunteering and job opportunities on site at The Cellar Trust, which everybody is invited to get involved with. Partnerships are really important to us, and we have links with organisations around the city as well as education institutions such as Shipley college, who often take on students from The Cellar Trust. We also offer self development workshops and peer support groups, led by dedicated peer support advisors who have been through the process themselves.

Our Being Well service is dedicated supporting people to manage their own health and wellbeing. We host an over the phone guided self help course which takes place for 12 weeks, which is open for people that might not have the time or confidence to seek help in person for issues they are struggling with. These courses are led by the same wellbeing coach each session, helping establish trust and confidence between participants and coaches. Peer support groups also take place, so you can discuss any issues you are facing in a safe and comfortable environment. As mentioned, we also have a Café on site and Charity Shop just down the street, which are really friendly environments for people to utilise their new found skills, whether through volunteering or paid employment. You can also attend our woodwork and horticulture courses that are also based on site, and are free – you just need to sign up! Many people that have completed this course are now studying on Shipley College’s Horticulture course, which is really great for us to see.


*If you need help between these hours, you can access Mind’s services. More information here – https://www.mindinbradford.org.uk.

That’s amazing, I can’t believe all that is free! I guess there’s loads to choose from, but what’s your favourite thing about The Cellar Trust?

We see so many people completely turn their lives around after engaging with the Crisis Service, so I’d probably have to say that. We see such a transformation in the confidence and outlook of people going through all our programmes, and the Crisis Service is a pinnacle way of getting people engaged with us. I feel like getting involved with The Cellar Trust in any way is wonderful, as it’s a great way to combine your preexisting skills (or new ones, if you fancy taking any of our classes!) and something you really care about.

It’s great that you’re so passionate about the work you do. How can other people get involved with The Cellar Trust, if they want to support the charity?

There are a few ways people can work with us. We’re lucky enough to have a good fundraising scheme, but we always welcome people to raise money for us, whether that’s through a bake sale or a marathon. You can get more information about that here – https://www.thecellartrust.org/support-us/fundraise-for-us/.

We also have a volunteering section on our website, where you can check out the latest volunteering opportunities. Whatever your reasons for wanting to get involved and no matter your expertise, skills, and experience – if you’re passionate about mental health and supporting us, check out our website to register your interest and see the current opportunities available –https://www.thecellartrust.org/support-us/volunteer/.

Additionally, we’re in need of items for our charity shop that operates on site, so we can continue to raise money that way. If you don’t have anything to donate, feel free to come and have a look around and support us by buying some items! Getting involved in any way is support to us though, so please keep an eye out for our stalls at various fairs and events and have a chat to us about what we do – we’re always open to meeting new people!

Thank you so much for taking the time to chat to me about The Cellar Trust, it’s really great to hear about all the work you do and how it helps benefit people throughout Bradford. I hope it carries on for years to come!