OUR STORY
A charity built on cuppas, kindness and second
chances.
The Big Communitea Centre is a Selby based mental health charity. Everything we do, the drop in communitea centre, the centre, the furniture shop that funds the lot, is here to look after the wellbeing of people in Selby and the surrounding area.
RECOGNISED BY
BBC Radio York · Make a Difference Awards
WHY WE EXIST
We're a registered mental health charity in Selby (no. 1188592) with a stubborn belief, that no one should have to face a wobbly day, a heavy week or a long night on their own.
So we built three doors into the same idea, each one a route to better mental wellbeing. A centre where you can drop in for a brew and a chat. Trips, classes and community that turn a hard week into a softer one. And a furniture shop that turns a donated sofa into another hour of someone listening. Three doors, same welcome.
THE JOURNEY
How The Big Communitea Centre grew, one cup at a time.
THE PEOPLE
Run by people who get it.
Our staff and volunteers have lived experience, either their own, or as carers, partners, parents, friends. That’s why nobody who walks through our doors feels like a case file. They feel like someone we’ve been waiting to meet.
We organise advocacy and advice sessions, connect people to other professionals, and quietly hold space for whatever today looks like.
Our Story
From a cuppa, to a centre.
Our Story
2017
Pay It Forward begins
It started with a simple idea across Selby — pay for a drink or a meal so a stranger could have one too. Kindness, on the house.
2020
Pandemic pivot
When the cafés shut, we built something new, fast. Café owners and our MHFA trainees became call handlers almost overnight.
- Early online support model built with TEWV
- Officially registered as a charity
- Drop-in centre launched
- Calls grew from ~100 a month to over 600 a month in the first year
2022
A shop, a café, and a service user led charity
Three big steps in one year, and all of them led by the people who use our services.
- Opened our first charity shop — affordable furniture and household items for people leaving homelessness or crisis
- Started a drop-in café with affordable and free food alongside support
- Grew further as a service user led organisation
2024
Support at scale
Around 56,000 calls answered in a single year, triage, a listening ear, and a bridge to crisis services when it is needed.
- ~56,000 support calls handled annually
- Excellent food hygiene rating
2026
What’s next
We are looking at a Communitea radio station and growing the wellbeing side of what we do. Watch this space.
01 / 05
Want to be part of the next chapter?
Want to be part of the next chapter?
POWERED BY VOLUNTEERS
Many hands, one cuppa
Almost everything we do leans on volunteers. Whether it’s a few hours behind the counter, a shift on the drop-in, or lifting a sofa off a van, our team makes Selby a softer place to land.
WHAT WE STAND FOR
Small print, big heart
01 Lived experience
Our team have been on the journey too — personally, or as carers. We listen first.
02 No appointment, no judgment
Walk in, sit down, take what you need. A cuppa is always on.
03 Selby rooted
We work alongside the NHS, the police and local charities so nobody falls through the gap.
04 Circular by design
Donated furniture funds donated time. Nothing wasted, everything reused.
A QUIET POUND DOING NOISY WORK
Support The Big
Communitea Centre your
way.
Every pound you give keeps the kettle on, the doors open and the support free. No middlemen, no fees, no fuss, just direct help for people in Selby who need it.
100% GOES STRAIGHT TO THE CENTRE