Brackley Town Council awards funding to Chatty Café, Brackley to encourage more residents to meet up, chat and feel better for it.

It’s part of the national Chatty Café Scheme, a non-profit which encourages hospitality venues to designate tables as “Chatter & Natter” tables. Anyone can attend and there is always a table at the Lounge Bar Cafe once a week where anyone can come and sit, talk and socialise.

In response to the cost-of-living crisis, the Chatty Café group has been awarded a grant from Brackley Town Council to help fund refreshments at the weekly sessions, for those struggling financially.

Research shows people living in poverty or experiencing financial stress are more likely to experience loneliness and social isolation. Loneliness has been found to raise levels of stress, impede sleep and, in turn, harm the body. Loneliness can also augment depression or anxiety. The Chatty Café group encourages chatting which in turn can help tackle loneliness and social isolation.

With this funding and during the Chatty Café sessions, the venue will provide free refreshments for anyone who is struggling financially and cannot afford to purchase a drink.

We hope the grant funding will encourage more people to join the Chatty Café group, and that the cost of drinks won’t be a barrier to attendance.

Alex Hoskyn, Founder of the Chatty Café Scheme said “Jon [the volunteer] and Richard [Owner of the Lounge Bar] have done an incredible job of bringing the Chatty Café concept to life. They continue to put so much effort into letting as many people as possible know about the sessions and have successfully created a welcoming and friendly space for anyone to visit. They deserve this recognition and I hope many more people can now attend, grab a drink and experience the benefits of how a simple chat can brighten their day.”

About The Chatty Café SchemeThe Chatty Café Scheme was the brainchild of Alex Hoskyn. As a new mother in 2017, Alex noticed how easy it is to have no interaction with others even when out of the house and began working on the idea.By 2020, Alex had won backing from multinational chain Costa Coffee and supermarket giant Sainsbury’s, with cafes participating as far afield as Australia and Florida. It is now run full-time by Abi Murray and Jenny Bimpson, with part-time input from social media and administrative help.

When the COVID-19 lockdowns rendered the chatter & natter tables impossible, the scheme repositioned the service as an anti-loneliness phone call programme, where volunteers are matched with a person wanting a call who ring once a week for up to half an hour of conversation on any topic.The scheme currently runs three services; Chatty Cafes in hospitality venues, a telephone friendship service and Chatty Café groups on Zoom.