The Edge Café, the perfect place to just come & be.
Way out there, at the far edge of Mill Road, something amazing is beginning.
A few years ago funding was awarded to build a recovery hub in Cambridge - a working cafe open to the public but with a recovery-based focus. The cafe was to form a visible, public-facing demonstration of the possibility of recovery from substance misuse, generating opportunities both for people in recovery and for the wider community. Now, in late 2016, that idea is becoming a reality.
The Edge Café is a community cafe and social enterprise, founded on the idea that every life is special, that everyone is worth preserving. Situated on the site of Brookfields Hospital, on our walls you’ll find a different artist in residence each month, and throughout the week we'll provide a programme of workshops and music, spoken word and interactive events open to all. If you have a good idea, get in touch – we need your skills, your talent and your passion to make beautiful things happen.
It’s our members who make us. The Edge places recovery at its heart and is run for service users, by service users. We are independent from specialist services, and our mission is to provide work, opportunities and a safe supportive space for people to meet and rebuild lost skills and confidence. All proceeds from your cuppa go back into the enterprise, so just by drinking here you’re supporting people in recovery. And we make a mean cup of coffee.
There are many ways that you can get involved with The Edge Café. This is just the beginning, and together we can make a community resource that everyone can contribute to and benefit from. Come and join us.
Our Beginning
The journey of developing a ‘Recovery Hub’ for Cambridgeshire started as a vision over 2 years ago. We saw that there was a something missing, people who were leaving specialist treatment services didn't have a place to go that they could call their own, to support them to sustain long term recovery and prevent relapse. In Cambridgeshire we had successfully developed a valuable group of ‘recovery champions’, individuals with lived experience, to volunteer within the treatment system and wanted to capture the energy and enthusiasm of the peer network to help provide support to those who have left treatment but are struggling to adjust to life without the use of alcohol and drugs & to those who are seeking recovery.
The Edge will provide a central point, building a local recovery community and providing a hub of support both in terms of ‘friendship’ and providing a range of opportunities both socially & personally away from specialist services. This is a great opportunity for those in recovery to take ownership & develop a place of their own, including the café element, to meet the needs not only of individuals, but their families & also the wider community.
“Nobody stays recovered unless the life they have created is more rewarding and satisfying than the one they left behind.” ~ Anne Fletcher
The Edge is independent of specialist services and registered as a social enterprise. We provide a safe and supportive space for those in recovery from drug/alcohol misuse to meet, volunteer, and work, developing lost confidence and increasing skills. The Edge is a visible, active, public facing demonstration of the possibility of recovery. The café will be run by people in recovery and those working on their recovery, sharing space with the local and regular customers, which will operate as part of the neighbourhood and as a community resource. The café is open to both the wider community & professionals to share skills, training, to host events for music, spoken word, art and IT access. The café will be a tangible place for those in recovery to give something back as well as to demonstrate the possibilities for recovery.
Our Aim
Our aim is to support each other in recovery from drug and alcohol misuse and promote recovery through our peers. We will provide support, encouragement & friendship, with everyone heading in the same direction. The café has been established as a Community Interest Company which is a form of social enterprise. The founding directors are individuals in recovery and representatives from the Inclusion treatment service and the DAAT team. Over time those that use the cafe will take more director positions on the board until they form the majority, if not all of the company directors within 3 years.
Get Involved
There are so many ways in which you can get involved in The Edge. Volunteers help hold the spirit of The Edge Café by nurturing a sense of community and a culture of recovery for everyone who comes through our doors. Opportunities abound for people who wish to share their time and gifts with the The Edge Café community & we are run by a very friendly group who have a gigantic vision for the future of the organisation but YOU are needed to GET INVOLVED! We have created many opportunities for those wanting to come on board with our cause, so no matter who you are…you are still able to participate!
Donations are also vital to our growth, as we use them to build a sustainable future for the cafe.