Gloucester Gloucester
The Cavern

The Cavern

College Street, GL1 2AP, Gloucester, United Kingdom

Lunch • Coffee • Drinks • British


"The Cavern in Gloucester is one of a kind. To a lot of people just passing by it is a very pleasant social cafe with reasonably priced food and non-alcoholic drink. The reality is that The Cavern is so much more than that. This is a place that is non-judgemental and focuses on inclusion for everyone. It has a lot of regular attendees including myself, many of which have mental health issues and/or some form of disability. The staff here (who are absolutely amazing) have a varied and wide understanding of mental health and what makes this place unique is that anyone can attend in the evening to talk to a member of staff about any issues in an informal and discrete way. Whilst staff are available anytime during the day there is a designated support area in the evenings which anyone can make use of. There are also various activities which The Cavern put on including an informal karaoke on a Sunday evening with mixed abilities of singers taking part. You don 't have to be a good singer as you will not be judged, it 's all about taking part. The Cavern has had a couple of bad reviews where it has been pointed out that there has been drug use and anti-social behaviour. Some of which may be true, however please bear in mind that some people who attend The Cavern may have mental health issues and conditions that may not be physically visible. The Cavern does not judge and is open to everyone. If The Cavern wasn 't so inclusive, then where would these people go? On the streets being Antisocial ? Getting involved in criminal activity? The safe space that The Cavern provides encourages people to attend and seek advice and support from a friendly staff team as well as other regular attendees who feel that The Cavern has a real family feel to it. Drug use is strictly prohibited and is challenged immediately. Whilst I accept that The Cavern may not run smoothly 100% of the time, I also know that the staff do everything that they can to support everyone who needs it. They are all very approachable and have the respect of people who feel able to open up to them about their problems and struggles. The Cavern is a safe space for everyone and if it was to ever close then Gloucester would lose a very valuable asset to the city."