08/10/2026
We believe having a chat can improve your day. That simple belief is where The Chatty Café Scheme began.
Our founder, Alex Hoskyn, was sitting in a supermarket café with her four-month-old son, feeling fed up and missing adult conversation. Looking around at other people sitting separately, she wondered what a difference it could make if they sat together and had a chat.
That thought became the Chatter & Natter table: a place where taking a seat lets others know you’re happy to talk.
Today, our aim is to help reduce loneliness and isolation across the UK and encourage more of these everyday connections further afield. We want people of all ages and backgrounds to have somewhere they can feel welcome, be heard and enjoy a little company.
Our wonderful volunteers around the UK bring this idea to life. They give their time, welcome new faces and help people feel comfortable joining in. Through these small acts of kindness, they’re improving lives and building stronger, more connected communities.
Our venues make this possible too. By opening their doors, offering a space to chat and believing in the scheme, they help turn Alex’s idea into a warm welcome in communities across the UK. We’re so grateful to every venue that makes room for connection.
A conversation might last five minutes or an hour. It might bring a laugh, a chance to share something or simply the comfort of knowing someone has listened.
We can’t know what someone is carrying when they walk through the door. But we can make room at the table.
Find a local table, volunteer or register your venue:
https://thechattycafescheme.co.uk/
