Music is medicine for the mind: the Revival social enterprise cafe as a community model for mental health

An article has been published in Mental Health and Social Inclusion (2025) 29 (7): 61–71. The image includes the front cover of Mental Health and Social Inclusion publication, with the Mind in Bexley and East Kent logo and the words

It explores how Revival, Mind in Bexley and East Kent’s community-led social enterprise cafe in Whitstable, supports mental health and inclusion through creative, non-clinical approaches.

Based on 18 months of ethnographic research, it shows how atmosphere, participation and especially music foster belonging, emotional safety and everyday recovery. Three mechanisms underpin this: relational knowledge developed through empathy and shared experience; uncertainty as a creative, adaptive force; and a collective intelligence of care emerging from routine, mutual support.

Although based on a single site, the study demonstrates how community enterprises can complement statutory services, redistribute expertise and strengthen local wellbeing systems.