News - Providing a welcoming space for people to chat

Crossroads Community Hub is one of many community cafés in the Chester area that have joined the Chatty Café scheme.

The aim of the scheme is to tackle loneliness by offering Chatter and Natter tables at community venues.

One Chester Community Partnerships is helping fund the membership for any community cafés in the Chester area, with five cafés already signed up and others in the process of getting involved.

• More about Community Partnerships

The idea is for Chester to become a ‘chatty city’ by encouraging as many cafés as possible to be part of the scheme.

Crossroads Community Hub is already seeing plenty of benefits since joining the Chatty Café scheme.

Abi, Project Manager at Crossroads Community Hub, said: “It’s been really simple as we were sent a great resource pack with the Chatty Café signs.

“We briefed our volunteers – those who are naturally chattier – and they’ve loved it.

“We look out for people who might be sat on their own, particularly at one of the Chatter and Natter tables, make ourselves known and ask if they want a conversation.

“For the volunteers, it’s made it really easy to connect with people and start that conversation.

“We’ve definitely seen an increase in people just coming to the café rather than the foodbank we run.”

• More about Crossroads Community Hub

When joining the scheme, cafés don’t need to do anything differently and you don’t need more volunteers or staff.

It’s simply a case of offering a Chatter and Natter table at certain times during the week so people can sit and start a conversation with others.

• Find out more about the scheme

If you’re a community café based in the Chester area and would like to join the scheme, please email: rosemary.harrington@cwva.org.uk.