Café Support Group

No, you don’t have to book an appointment to attend Café. We do advise that you get in touch with us before attending for the first time to ensure it’s the right space for you. 

When you arrive at Café, you will be greeted by a member of the Rising Sun team. They will welcome you into the group, get you a cup of tea, coffee or cold drink and introduce you to the other women. You will be welcomed in with open arms, and are free to chat about your personal experiences or just take in the conversation and listen to others.

Café is a peer support group for survivors of domestic abuse. It’s a safe space where other women understand and get what you’ve experienced, and where possible, we aim to keep it as a community of survivors with lived experiences.

We understand though that you may be feeling apprehensive about attending Café for the first time. If you are, you’re more than welcome to bring along a female friend, family member or support worker for your first week. You are also more than welcome to give Natasha (Café coordinator) a call ahead of attending Café to chat about what you can expect from your first visit.

Yes! Young children are more than welcome to attend Café under your full supervision, as no creche is provided. 

During school holidays, older children are welcome to attend, and we take a lighter approach to conversations to ensure you can continue to access support during holidays.

Absolutely! The purpose of Café is to create a community of women that understand and get domestic abuse through their lived experiences. Many survivors use Café as a weekly lifeline to receive a light touch of ongoing support, advice and friendship as they heal from their experiences.

Café takes place every Friday, and you can attend every week, once a month or pop in when you need a bit of extra support and a chat with women who understand what you’re going through.

Our Café Support Group is a safe space for peer-to-peer support between survivors. The group is however facilitated by a Rising Sun member of staff who can advise you on how to access further support.

If you need further support you can also attend our One Stop Shop to be referred into our services.

Yes, the location of Café has an accessible entrance and is located on the ground floor. 

No! Right now, Café only take place in a Canterbury location, but you are more than welcome to travel from anywhere in the Canterbury, Ashford and Folkestone & Hythe districts to attend. 

We understand the importance of consistency when you’re healing from domestic abuse, which is why Café takes place every Friday (except Good Friday and Christmas/New Year).

Café also continues during school holidays, where we keep the conversation slightly lighter to enable older children to attend with their mums. To limit the barriers of attendance, we welcome children to Café all year round, but no creche is provided so they will be under your supervision at all times.