An Otley microbrewery is opening its doors to lonely people in the town by providing a ‘friendly’ place to talk.
Ian Shutt, the owner of the brewery who works in accounting during the day, began his Wednesday night ‘Tap Room Talks’ as a way of giving back to the community.
He said: “Why not try to think outside the box a little bit and if I can benefit the community then it gets paid back. You know what Otley’s like, if you organise something people will come and everyone’s been really friendly.
It may well be a slow burner but if it benefits one person, two people, then it’s great.”
Ian does not work in mental health, but felt he could still help the community by opening his microbrewery to people who just want to talk to someone informally.
So far the response has been positive with some in the community coming out to help with the evening.
Paul Potts, who lives in the area and works in mental health, quickly got in touch with Mr Shutt to offer his support for the venture as well as advice.
He said: “It’s a small local business that’s actually doing something that should have a really big impact in an area that really matters.”
“It’s his time and he’s dedicating it because he cares, that really means something. There isn’t really anything like this that I know of in the Wharfedale Valley.
“If you are in this area and you want to get involved or you feel isolated, or you have a mental health condition this will help support you by just opening up and talking about it. Other than going down the official routes there’s nothing much like this, it’s really unique.”
Josh Heywood, who is a pilot for Jet2 and originally from The Wirral, heard about the event through social media and came along with his dog Enzo.
He said: “I think it’s a brilliant idea, I wouldn’t class myself as desperately in need of that but for someone who’s not from the town, I don’t know that many people, certainly not locally, it’s nice to have friendly faces even if I only spend time talking to the barman or the owner. It’s a nice bit of familiarity outside of home.
“I think it’s [having somewhere to go] almost imperative. It’s incredibly important. I think the biggest obstacle is that the men who probably need it the most are the hardest to reach but I think that this is a step in the right direction.
"It’s definitely improved my mental wellbeing and it’s brilliant that a local place is doing it. It certainly made me come out, I would have just sat in front of the telly.”
The ‘Tap Room Talks’ run on Wednesday nights between 8pm and 10pm with alternate weeks run by wither Ian or his wife.
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