The Round About Café is a community café in Mansbridge supported by Abri, that provides a welcoming space for people to connect with their local community and enjoy some great coffee, homemade cakes and sausage rolls.
Staffed mainly by volunteers, the café is open during the week from 8am – 2pm, with regular events and activities that occur in the evenings and weekends. A community pantry is also run from the cafe, where local people can purchase food and household essentials for a fraction of supermarket prices.
The much‑loved café has become a cornerstone of community life in Mansbridge, playing an important role in supporting local people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Reducing isolation by providing a welcoming space
The Round About Café provides a vital space where residents feel connected, supported and valued. Regular customers share how much they appreciate the warm atmosphere, friendly conversations, and sense of belonging the team of Abri colleagues and volunteers create.
Mike’s a big part of our Round About Café community, regularly attending cooking classes, storytelling sessions and training courses. Speaking about visiting the café, Mike said: “I like coming to the café to meet people and have a chat. I often meet up with friends here- it’s close to home, has a great atmosphere, and fantastic food and drinks. I’m a big fan of stopping to talk to other people while enjoying my cappuccino. Being teetotal, it’s a great alternative to going to the pub!”
And other regular customers agree:
“I’m a regular customer at the café because I like the staff, Abri trades and other people who live locally. It’s a friendly place, full of friendly people.”
“As I live on my own, it’s a good way to socialise and get out even if I don’t want to go out. I’ve made some good friends at the activities, and we now meet up and do other things together. I like going to activities at the café mainly to chat to other people and have a laugh, if I learn something while I’m there then it’s a bonus.”
Connecting people with their community
The Round About Café isn’t just about serving great food and coffee, it also hosts a community pantry, a low-cost food initiative where local individuals and families can access a range of groceries at a fraction of retail price.
In addition to helping with the cost of living, more than half of pantry users also told us that visiting helps them feel more involved in their community and less isolated.
Here’s what one member had to say about the community pantry:
“The pantry has helped me enormously with my weekly budget. I have felt less isolated since joining the pantry as it was easier to talk to like-minded people. I feel the pantry is a vital support for the community struggling through this cost of living crisis, while also reducing food waste at the same time.”
Activities and classes that boost wellbeing
Since April 2022, the café team has been working with SoCo Music Project to run regular music making sessions at the café. The two projects, Mansbridge Melody Makers and Junk Orchestra, help people to discover something new, learn new skills and nurture their creative potential.
Members of the groups tell us the sessions help to improve their mental health and form friendships with each other. By building these connections, our aim is to make this a sustainable group that can meet, enjoy social time and create long lasting support networks.
In response to rising bills and food costs, we also teamed up with Itchen College to offer free, energy-efficient cooking courses, equipping participants with skills to use at home and with their families. Each week, participants cooked and ate together, then took home ingredients to try the recipe again. By sharing in this experience friendships were formed and support networks created.
This project made a big difference in the community, with attendants reporting improved confidence in cooking, using energy efficient methods of cooking at home, that they have been eating more fruit and vegetables.
In addition to regular activities, the café also hosts events, including a special lunch held on Good Friday for local residents who would otherwise have been on their own over Easter. It was a lovely afternoon filled with good food, plenty of conversation and connection, and a warm atmosphere.
Making a difference
The Round About Café in Mansbridge, was recently recognised with a Southampton Mental Health Network ‘Stars for Stars’ award, celebrating its exceptional commitment to wellbeing, belonging and positive community connection. The Stars for Stars awards celebrate places that actively champion mental health, with the Round About Café embodying this spirit wholeheartedly. The café and its team prove every day that kindness, connection and community can make an extraordinary difference to the lives of so many people.