Makeover for the Mind Tree Café helps improve wellbeing services for the community
The Mind Tree Café, a wellbeing centre in Rowde, has received funding from National Grid’s Community Grant Programme to provide a fresh new look and help expand its support to local residents.
The Community Grant Programme is aimed at community organisations and charities in areas affected by National Grid Electricity Transmission’s operations and construction activities.
In June 2024, The Mind Tree Café was awarded just over £10,000 by the programme to redecorate and enhance the centre, which provides wellbeing support to residents.
More than a year on, the transformed space has become a thriving community hub used by over 2,000 local people. The centre now offers a wide range of low-cost services, including counselling sessions, outdoor therapy, arts and crafts, workshops and other wellbeing activities.
The funding has allowed the centre to redecorate its counselling rooms and larger indoor spaces, where it is now able to host wellbeing workshops and activities run by local artists, speakers and yoga teachers.
Outside, the centre has been able to purchase a lawn mower, picnic tables, raised beds and soil to landscape and maintain its orchard. It also now has a complete composting system and grows its own fruit, vegetables and flowers for the café.
In December 2025, The Mind Tree Café was awarded a further grant to help the organisation install air source heat pumps, reducing its long-term running costs so it can continue to offer affordable mental health support for the community.
Lisa Gurr, director and co-founder of The Mind Tree Café, said:
“Funding from National Grid has made a meaningful difference to The Mind Tree Café and the community we support. The funding has enabled us to thoughtfully decorate and improve our space, creating a calm, welcoming space for people to access our low-cost counselling services and engage in wellbeing workshops and community activities.
Without the support of National Grid, we would not have been able to create the calm, relaxed and inclusive environment that underpins everything we do. This funding has had a lasting impact on our ability to support wellbeing, connection and community growth.”
Amardeep Malhi, project manager for the North Wessex Downs VIP project, said:
“The funding National Grid has provided has helped The Mind Tree Café to better support the mental health and wellbeing of local people in Rowde, Devizes and the surrounding areas.
The Community Grant Programme allows us to support local, non-profit organisations within the communities impacted by our operations, so it’s been wonderful to see how the centre has used this funding to create such a welcoming, inclusive space.”
The next window for applications to the Community Grant Programme will open in April 2026. Further information about how to apply is available on National Grid’s website at: https://www.nationalgrid.com/community-grant-programme