Pic: Geograph

Croydon’s Clocktower Café will be transformed into South London’s first ‘Happy Café’ to mark National Stress Awareness Day on November 2.

The scheme aims to offer a place where customers can relax and enjoy a variety of calming activities.

The popular café, located within one of the borough’s most eye-catching landmarks, will offer customers mini-massages, clay modelling and colouring-in books to help them unwind.

Action for Happiness, the organization behind the idea, say that happy cafes are “friendly and welcoming place to meet other people with a shared interest in promoting happiness and wellbeing.

Mark Williamson from Action for Happiness said: “Our overarching aim is for fewer people to suffer with mental health problems and for more people to feel good, function well and help others.”

The scheme follows figures released by the Office of National Statistics last month that show that Croydon has some of the lowest levels of happiness in the country.

Croydon Council commented: “Happy cafes are set up by people with a shared interest in promoting happiness and wellbeing.

“They are places to meet likeminded people and they promote activities that help customers to relax and manage stress in their lives.

“They also offer a way for people to find out about and contact organizations that promote health and wellbeing.”

Cabinet member for families, health and social care Councillor Louisa Woodley said: “Happy cafes are fun but they also send a very important message about happiness and its link to our health and wellbeing.

“Happy people who are supported by strong social networks are less likely to suffer from a whole range of health problems in life. The happiness cafes help people to make connections while also promoting activities that encourage a happier, healthier and more relaxed state of mind.”

There are currently two other ‘happy cafes’ in London – ‘Skittle Alley Coffee & Pantry’ in Hammersmith and ‘The Canvas Café’ near Brick Lane.