'It's about having an open door': Villagers unite to fight loneliness among residents
A new weekly community gathering aimed at tackling loneliness and bringing people together has launched in the village of Enville.
The “Coffee and Chat” mornings, held at Archie's in Enville, are the brainchild of café owner Emily Bowen, who hopes to create a welcoming space for residents of all ages to socialise in a relaxed setting.
Taking place every Wednesday between 10am and 12pm, the sessions are designed to offer companionship, conversation and simple activities such as jigsaws and crafts to help break the ice for newcomers.
The initiative has already received strong support from local community worker Gilly Page, from care agency Home Instead, who highlighted the importance of accessible social opportunities in rural areas.
“I've been speaking to Emily about bringing a community focus to the café, and to help bring older people that might otherwise be stuck at home out into the community,” Gilly said. “We work to give an outlet to people that might not have the ability to come to places like Archie's or other clubs and societies in the area, and we look to provide transport and companionship to bring them out into the community.
"Emily recently launched her 'Coffee and Chat' morning which is open every Wednesday between 10am and 12pm, and it's for anyone that wants to come along and have some social interaction that they otherwise wouldn't necessarily have.
"It's for people of any age, male or female and there will be jigsaws and craft activities, and it's just a nice icebreaker so that people don't feel worried about coming and making conversation with people they've never met before.
"Emily is so passionate about community and bringing local people here. With it being a rural community sometimes people don't have all the access to opportunities that they need.
"I look after dementia patients through my work at Home Instead and things like this mean they can have a life outside of their own four walls.
"Just because they have a condition like Alzheimer's or dementia doesn't mean their life has to stop, they can still live an active life and coming to places like this can be really welcoming.
"It's about having an open door for people to come and feel homely, and to feel like people there are on their side and they can come and spend time with them.
"I really believe that loneliness can be worse than physical conditions sometimes, and that's for people of any age. Being lonely can be so hard, so coming to a place like this where they can chat to friendly people really gives them a purpose and the opportunity to do something positive with their day.”
