Crompton Street Crisis Café

The Crompton Street Crisis Café project involved the refurbishment of a vacant town centre unit in Wigan to create a welcoming Mental Health Crisis Café and community support hub. The scheme provides an accessible, non-clinical environment where people experiencing mental health distress can seek immediate support, connect with local services and access wider wellbeing and peer-support activities.

The ground floor was transformed to create a welcoming environment with an open-plan kitchen, informal seating, private interview rooms and a Changing Places facility. The first floor provides an open-plan office and meeting space, supporting the Community Crisis Team. The wider refurbishment also included improvements to the building envelope, accessibility, security, IT infrastructure, drainage and ventilation.

Red Tree worked collaboratively with the wider design team, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, EPiC HOPE and other stakeholders to deliver a space centred around the needs of its users and the local community. Co-production with service users, staff, healthcare professionals, and local organisations helped shape a design that prioritised accessibility, informality, visibility and a sense of belonging, while avoiding an overly clinical or institutional feel.

Particular attention was given to creating a safe environment without compromising the welcoming character of the café. The completed space combines open and private areas to support different types of interaction, while the use of local community artwork further strengthens the connection to Wigan and its residents. The project demonstrates how an existing vacant town centre space can be transformed into an accessible community resource that supports early intervention and mental health wellbeing.

The facility was recognised at the 2026 Design in Mental Health Awards where it won the ‘Low Cost High Impact Award’.