There was singing, knitting, raffles, games, and, last but not least, chatting and socializing when 25 volunteers and users from the Netværkscaféen drop-in center in Thisted recently went on a mini-vacation at the Bakkegården Holiday Center in Vesløs.

Thanks to a donation of DKK 10,000 from the Sol og Strand Foundation Sol og Strand Margit and Kjeld, Joan Dalgaard, center manager at Netværkscaféen, has been able to arrange a vacation for some of the users who visit the center on a daily basis.

For many people, going on vacation is a natural thing to do, but for some, it is not a given. Many of those who come to the Network Café either cannot afford to go on vacation or simply cannot manage to arrange one. That is why we are incredibly happy about this donation, which means a lot to vulnerable people in Thisted, says Joan Dalgaard.

The network café, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year, is a place for people who need somewhere to meet like-minded individuals.

"These are mentally vulnerable people who have been through some difficult challenges before receiving the right help. Their primary challenge is loneliness, and in the café, they feel like part of a community. We are each other's family and network, and we care about each other, says Joan Dalgaard, who praises the volunteers who make it a priority to set aside time to go on vacation with the users.

This is only the second time that Netværkscaféen has gone on vacation. Last year, a donation from REMA1000 in Thisted made it possible. This year, there were no plans for a repeat performance—there was no money in the modest budget for vacation, even though it was high on the users' wish list.

At one of our monthly house meetings, they had ganged up on me, and it was quite clear that they wanted to go on vacation. I had to tell them that we didn't have any money to spare, but then we were lucky that the Sol og Strand Foundation Sol og Strand support us. We then received 5,000 kroner from Lions, and we were able to go, says Joan Dalgaard, adding that there was also a small user fee for the participants.

Around 30 people, mainly from Thisted, use the Network Café every day, and although they are delighted to have just been on vacation together, there is concern about the future.

We are concerned that Thisted Municipality will remove part of our subsidy next year, and if that happens, I fear that the café will have to close. The board of the Network Café considers it important that the working environment for volunteers and employees is satisfactory, and two full-time employees are a necessity, says Joan Dalgaard, who has been the manager of the Network Café for eight years.