Supporting community and health with coffee and yoga | Vicky Meets

• From a career in New York in concert production and event management to a master’s degree in entrepreneurship at University of Surrey, how did you come to launch Wagtail?

My dissertation was in alternative work environments, specifically working from home, and also looking at how the emotional and psychological component of that. Incredibly relevant to what is happening right now. I looked at some spaces to consider creating a co-working space with a café element, but nothing was quite right. Yoga has been incredibly helpful to me and I realised that what I needed was a café working together with a yoga studio. That led me to Church Square. I have been positively overwhelmed with the support from people who live in Church Square. From day one they volunteered help and made me feel so welcome. Even though the pandemic made opening problematic I am so glad that we did. Going forwards it’s about supporting community and health. Wellness is far beyond yoga. Mindfulness and taking away the stigma of mental health is so important, and will be especially in the future. We want to figure out what the needs are locally and to support that.

• What is your vision for Wagtail?

One of the cornerstones of Wagtail is having time and respect for anyone who comes through the door. Community and wellbeing go hand in hand. I thought it was true and in my dissertation I proved it. It is all to do with a need to belong. Hopefully people come because we make great coffee, but also because they feel valued. We’re light years from our vision, but we’re forging ahead in whatever way we can make a difference. I also have excellent staff. They all have something that makes them unique and special.

• And the poetry contest?

The poetry contest is the launch event for Walk By Wagtail, which was inspired by the first lockdown and is nothing more than a pledge from us to try to offer Chichester something beautiful in our windows. We recognised we were on a popular walking route and it became apparent that we could make a difference to people’s day just by what we put in our window. I was thinking about the value of beauty, which I think can heal and give us a high point in a low day. There are a lot of people struggling right now. Writing a poem is a creative thing and there is something contagious about creativity. Everybody has such an important story to tell. In the buzz of modern society I want to make sure that’s not lost. We are so much on a trajectory toward perfection and that is flawed. One key component of Wagtail’s mission is to help our staff see failure as a stepping stone rather than a wall. Failure is inevitable, of course, but it can be a great teacher.

Poetry competition entries are accepted until Sunday, February 20 – enter and find out more about Wagtail at www.wagtailcoffeeandyoga.com

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