Who are we?

Essential Space Community

Welcome to ESCC, we are a mental health therapy service supporting adults and young people living in Gloucestershire. We operate as a Community Interest Company (CIC) to support us in offering part projects in our community. We have two buildings, one in Cheltenham town centre, next door to the RSPCA on Knapp Road and one at Kingsley House just off the Shurdington Road between Cheltenham and Gloucester. Our building on Knapp Road is owned by the RSPCA, we really like this aspect of our service, as a percentage of our rental income is given to a charity for using their beautiful premises. Our CIC projects are pay-what-you-can counselling, creative mentoring, creative change-makers workshops and Identity Space, these are held within the community as well as within our therapy rooms. We aim to provide an inclusive, easy-to-access service, where the 'pay what you can' fee is an agreed amount, accounting for everyone's individual circumstances.

In 2019 we opened as a therapy centre and in early 2020 we became a community interest company. Our team is supported by qualified Counsellors, who are also Supervisors with extensive individual experiences in supporting people in our community, making us a diverse team with a breadth of knowledge between us. Each has private practices but was very aware that for some the cost of the support may stop someone from having the therapeutic service they need, we listened to what people wanted, and this is how our services grew into what we offer today.

Meet our Founders

Being part of ESCC means I get to share my passion for supporting people in the community to access counselling and emotional support. I am keen to work alongside our next generation of counsellors, to not only support those they work with but invest in their own well-being too – this is something I am immensely

passionate about.

Leann is also a Counsellor, Clinical Supervisor and Registered Nurse.

Leann Huntley
Co-Director

Sarah (SJ) Bolton-Locke
Co-Director

My role within ESCC is to bring creativity and inclusion to the heart of what we do, and embrace diversity within our community.

We acknowledge that each of us has different therapeutic needs. However, I believe that we all share a desire for, respect, safety, and compassion. It is important to me that our agency's values and visions for our service continue to thrive and benefit all of our visitors, clients, counsellors and our community. SJ is also a Clinical Supervisor and a Counsellor for Children and Adults.