Lovely new cafe launches in Harrogate where strangers are invited to talk to each other
A new kind of cafe has been launched in Harrogate – with the specific aim of making people feel less lonely.
Chatty Cafe is to be hosted by Saints Coffee at 43 St Winifred's Avenue with the support of its owner Katrina Rickert.
The brainchild of Colleen Gruenwald, it’s the first venue of its kind in Harrogate to become part of the national Chatty Café Scheme, a leading non-profit organisation tackling loneliness.
“I go to the Saints Café most Saturdays after doing Parkrun and, after watching how Kat appreciate her clientele, I saw that she clearly loves supporting others,” said Colleen Gruenwald, who is Director of Alana Care Solutions, a Harrogate firm which provides a safe space to connect for business owners in the healthcare sector.
“I approached her to ask if she would be willing to host a chatty coffee within her premises and she leapt at the chance.”
“Chatty Cafe isn’t just for people who may feel a bit lonely or isolated,”
"It’s for anyone who wants to come along and even just have a glass of water.
"They don’t have to have a hot drink or buy something, they can come along and join in."
Chatty Cafes started in 2017 to promote the marking of certain tables in cafes as tables at which talking to strangers is explicitly welcome.
The Harrogate initiative will see a ‘chatter and natter’ table set up within Saints Coffee each Wednesday between 2pm and 3.30pm, hosted by a volunteer to facilitate conversation.