Hinckley Coffee House Joins National Scheme to Combat Loneliness

Stockwells Coffee House and Bar opens their 'chatter and natter' table from tomorrow

Stockwells Coffee House and Bar has become one of the first establishments in the area to join the Chatty Cafe scheme. In this scheme customers can sit at a chatter and natter table and talk to other customers. There are now over 900 establishments that are part of the scheme. Founder Alex Hoskyn explains how the scheme came about;

"The scheme was created on a wet and windy day when I was in a supermarket café with my four month old son. He wasn’t great company and I was feeling fed up.

I looked round the café and saw an elderly lady who looked just as down as me and on another table sat a young guy with additional needs and his support worker both looking like they had run out of conversation!

I started to think about the positive impact we could have had on each other if we had sat together. I know from experience that when you are feeling lonely, a short conversation with another human can really brighten your day and I realised that you can be out of the house all day yet have no interaction with another person.

It was right there and then that the ‘Chatter & Natter’ table began (in my head and dreams to start!) but now it’s a reality. There are now over 900 cafes!"

Anyone can join in, and the table is open tomorrow (Wednesday 8th) from 9:30 until 11:30. For a list of all the cafes with a Chatter and Natter table visit www.thechattycafescheme.co.uk