Hoole Village pub helps tackle loneliness in Chester

A Toby Carvery restaurant in Hoole Village has teamed up with The Chatty Cafe Scheme, a leading non-profit social enterprise designed to combat isolation, to help local people connect.

The Toby Carvery on Warrington Road is looking for volunteers to host a weekly Chatter & Natter table. The aim is to offer local people a welcoming space to come together for conversation every week.

The Chatty Café Scheme was established ten years ago, has helped more than 30,000 people living in isolation and currently has weekly sessions in 900 cafes, pubs, restaurants, community centres and care homes across the UK.

Abi Murray, operations manager for The Chatty Cafe Scheme, said:

“People are generally happier having human contact. A designated table means customers who want to talk to each other can. It’s good to have a mix too, as you don’t necessarily want to sit with people just like you.

The Chatty Café Scheme is a simple, yet effective idea. There is no membership, no pressure to come every week and no age barrier. We are looking for local people in the Chester area who can spare a couple of hours once a week and enjoy chatting to people to run the Chatter & Natter table at the Toby Carvery in Hoole Village and help make a difference."

Martin Nelson from Toby Carvery Restaurants said:

“Hospitality is, at its heart, about making people feel welcome and our pubs have traditionally been at the heart of the community. By partnering with The Chatty Cafe Scheme, we’re using our scale and our spaces to help address loneliness, one of the biggest social challenges facing communities today.

Whether it’s over a coffee in the morning or a cuppa in the afternoon, we want our pubs and restaurants to be welcoming spaces where people feel comfortable coming in on their own and leaving feeling part of something.

We look forward to welcoming local people to our Toby Carvery restaurant in Chester.”

To become a volunteer host or find the nearest Chatter & Natter table visit:

http://www.thechattycafescheme.co.uk