Cafe fundraising to boost support for neurodiverse

A cafe that supports people who are neurodiverse or who have mental health issues has launched a fundraising drive to help it continue its work.

The family-run Boardroom Gaming Cafe in Wellington, Shropshire, wants to refurbish a room that supports family sessions, neurodiverse-friendly activities and other community groups, as well as its kitchenette.

It said because of rising costs it would struggle to carry out the work without the financial support.

The cafe, which won a BBC Make a Difference Award in 2024, was created by people who said they wanted to create a welcoming and accessible space for everyone, because they "know first-hand what it feels like to be marginalised".

As well as offering a place for people to have a coffee while enjoying a boardgame, the cafe hosts regular nights and events tailored for people with who have the likes of autism and ADHD.

It also gives support to people looking for work, but are facing barrier to employment.

The cafe is looking to become a Community Interest Company (CIC) - a social enterprise which uses profits and assets for the community rather than private gain and said the fundraising was part of that transition.

It said it was already effectively operating as a not-for-profit community company, so achieving CIC status would enable it to access grants currently unavailable to it.

Those grants would enable it to become more sustainable in the long-term, it said.

Its first floor "Gamer's Gallery" was heavily-used and needed renovation with improved seating, it said, "to ensure it remains safe, comfortable, and fit for the growing and increasingly complex needs of those who use it".

It said it also needed to replace "essential equipment" and while it was trying to save and reinvest profits, rising business costs made it "increasingly difficult to fund larger improvements".

Its aim, it said, was to "protect a space that so many people rely on, as a safe, welcoming place to connect, play, and belong".

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