Back in the Autumn of 2019, Howie was interviewing Joel for a full-time CBT post at ADRU and he asked Joel to talk through an idea for a service development project if successful at getting the position. Joel said ‘I want to open a patient-led cafe that sells gut health products to the rest of the Bethlem, celebrating the shared humanity of the gut and providing a context to test out CBT exposures and gain vocational skills’
Luckily, this was completely up Howie’s street. He had spent 6 months at ADRU as a resident and found growing, cooking, fermenting and baking sourdough bread very therapeutic and a key part of his treatment and recovery.
Then just as the Covid19 lockdown we set about making it happen using the power of MS Teams! Researching, designing the layout and logo, considering options, menus and started fermenting! A lot of hard work and late nights later, the project had a name, Guts, representing the courage of residents and staff at ADRU. After some funding, presenting and a plan to convert the ADRU art room into a purpose-built kitchen and serving hatch, Guts is taking shape, not to mention backing and equipment from Old Spike, nearby coffee roasters, sourdough expert Vanessa Kimble, and a host of helpful humans!