But she will be raising spirits of a different kind when she opens her revamped venue in Hildenborough, now known as The 1809 Hub, on Friday December 14.
The double Olympic gold medallist closed her café 1809 on London Road on November 25 to pursue ‘other ambitions’ in the space which would ‘bring new energy into my life and the village’.
She begins that quest with the Mini Kent Spirit Festival, which will feature several local manufacturers of gin, vodka, whisky and rum.
They include Greensand Ridge Distillery from Shipbourne and Anno from Marden as well as Copper Rivet from Chatham.
The hub promises ‘events, parties, fitness, wellbeing, hospitality, corporate away days, networking events and more’.
“We will still do a pop-up café here and there, and I hope that it would be something that just brings different people in, a different energy, more people can utilise the space and it’s just a new time,” Dame Kelly said.
STILL LIFE: The Greensand Ridge Distillery in Shipbourne
Her Twitter feed shows a video clip of her cleaning the lavatory at Old Florence Place, and she says: “So one night I am at an audience with Michelle Obama, the next I am scrubbing toilets. Nothing should be beneath you! New ventures need a lot of work.”
The Mini Kent Spirit Festival starts at 7pm and costs £20 including a free shot with mixer and garnish. Tickets are available from bookitbee.com
Guests will be able to sample all the drinks, meet the distillers and suppliers and watch three ‘masterclass’ presentations.
A raffle will raise funds for mental health charity West Kent Mind. She has held with the -organisation about holding mental health workshops at the Hub.
Dame Kelly, who has been outspoken about her issues with depression and self-harming, said when she closed the café that she would devote more time to campaigning on related issues.
“I want to spread my passions more around mental health, talking out about it’s OK not to be OK.” she said. “I think it’s so important with the stats of suicide rates in the country, especially for men under 45 or for teenagers.
The former athlete’s latest book, Running Life, will be published on December 27. It describes the benefits of combining mindset, fitness and nutrition, the ‘big three’ as Dame Kelly calls them.
The book, published by Octopus for £20, ‘will teach you how to make positive changes to your life and empower yourself’ and ‘change your mindset to reach emotional wellbeing’.
It provides easy-to-follow mindfulness exercises and tips on how to keep the body strong with running, strength and flexibility exercises.
She also describes which foods are best for nourishing the body and reveals five ways to improve the way we eat.
