We a chat can brighten your day

Splashed in big letters across the Chatty Café’s website is “We believe having a chat can brighten your day”. This struck a chord with National Organiser Vicky Wooldridge and she decided to find out more. Along with Vicky, I had the pleasure of meeting Jenny Bimpson, Volunteer Manager at Chatty Café. She explained that the Chatty Café Scheme is a non-profit organisation tackling loneliness in the UK and was happy to answer our questions about the scheme.

the idea for Chatty Café whilst in a supermarket café with her four month old son. She “looked round the café and saw an elderly lady who looked just as down as me, and on another table sat a young guy with additional needs and his support worker, both looking like they had run out of conversation!” She thought what a wonderful idea it would be if they could all be sitting around a table together.

Less well known are the virtual and telephone services that the Chatty Café Scheme runs. Virtual sessions are held on Zoom three days a week for 30 minutes at 1pm. Anyone over the age of 18 can join to chat, there is no agenda and you don’t have to book.

Jenny told us about the success of the Telephone Friendship Service that they run for those experiencing loneliness and/ or social isolation. Beneficiaries of the scheme are referred by a Social Prescriber and paired with a volunteer who calls them at the same time every week for 30 minutes for 12 consecutive weeks. The service is oversubscribed and they are keen to recruit new volunteers—reliable folk who enjoy chatting to new people and are good at listening. Full training is provided. Is that something you could do? Find out more via their website www.thechattycafescheme.co.uk

Cath Heslop NWR Membership Manager

You may well have seen the unmissable yellow table signs in coffee shops, pubs and other venues which are taking part in the scheme by offering a Chatter and Natter table. The idea is to have a table where customers can get together and chat, led by a volunteer who is there to kick-start conversations, be a friendly face at the table and promote the table within their local community.

Founder Alex Hoskyn came up with

Are you looking for new ideas for activities and discussion topics for your group? Have a question about what you can and can’t do with member details? Want ideas of how to promote your group to bring in new members? Then look no further than the new Member Resource area on the NWR website for this and more! Find it at www.nwr.org.uk/member-resources/

The final edit

As this will be Judith’s last issue as editor of the NWR magazine staff and trustees wanted to say a few words of thanks

Judith took over as editor in 2017. A designer and editor by trade (and NWR member), it is through Judith’s stewardship that the magazine became more colourful and appealing. In addition, her efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the production and delivery of the magazine and keep costs down is commended by trustees and staff at NWR. Whilst always being a pleasure to

Why the long face?

Much as I am looking forward to retirement, I will nevertheless miss my involvement with this magazine, for the simple reason that it has been terrific fun—and that is all down to you, the NWR members.

As someone who can honestly say they have read every single word of every single issue for the last six years, I never cease to be astonished by the things you get up to—from using a handbag to bale out a canoe in alligator infested mangrove swamps to cycling the length of the country for charity, travelling solo in North Korea or competing in Eggheads on national TV, not to mention the inspirational achievements of Mary Stott Award winners, initiating projects such as schools and hospices in other countries, or supporting bereaved parents at the same time as dealing with their own grief at the loss of a child.

Cath goes national!

Having previously focussed her efforts on working with groups and starting new ones in the Central Region, Cath’s role of Membership Manager has now grown to encompass a national focus. She will continue to nurture the groups in Biggleswade and Welwyn that she has started whilst assisting individuals who have expressed an interest in starting groups across the country.

work with, Judith has applied her skills as editor into transforming the articles sent by staff into eye catching pieces that draw in the reader. Judith’s contributions and dedication over the years have had a positive impact in moving the magazine forward and helped to make it a more engaging and interesting read.

Judith’s knowledge of NWR also helped in anticipating which items need to be included in an issue and the staff have appreciated the occasional nudge to remind them! Judith has excelled at managing deadlines, which is not easy with multiple contributors to work with. Her tact and professionalism is much appreciated.

We wish Judith a very happy retirement!

Planning ahead Walk and talk!

Last year Cath had the wonderful idea of bringing members together for

I also had the privilege of sharing your lockdown experiences; some of them funny, some tragic, others humdrum but oh so important back then—remember when mastering a zoom call with one’s family or booking a supermarket delivery felt like winning the lottery? But all of them demonstrated the candour and supportiveness that NWR members offer each other.

So, please, keep it coming!

Judith Charlton

a National Event that was accessible to all members, regardless of their location. And so, the first NWR National Walk was born. She said “It was wonderful receiving all the photos and descriptions of the walks that members had been on across the country, opening up my emails was like going on a big walking holiday with NWR members without venturing outdoors!” She is looking forward to the second NWR Walk, due to take place in the first two weeks of July.

Cath will be working closely with Area Organisers, supporting them in their role as well as working with the National Organiser and other team members to deliver events and improve member experiences throughout the UK.

Join the NWR walk, 24 June–14 July

It is back! The second NWR Walk will be taking place this summer, so pencil in some time to go out walking with your fellow NWR members. This year we’ll be tracking how many areas of the country the walks are taking place in and we will again be providing regular updates, sharing the details of your walks, what you have seen and where you have been.

What is the NWR Walk?

Simply put, members are encouraged to go on walks together between 24 June and 14 July 2023. Regular communications are sent from the NWR office throughout the first two weeks in July describing where members have walked and what they have seen. There is no prescribed route or distance for the walks and non-members of NWR are welcome to join in.

Why?

It’s a great excuse to get together with other members, explore our local areas and enjoy the benefits of walking.

The only rule…

There must be at least two NWR members on each walk.

https://nwr.org.uk/planning-guide-forthe-nwr-walk-2023/

Picnic with pride!

We are asking members to come together in the month of June to enjoy a Pride Picnic. June is Pride Month and is dedicated to celebrating and showing support to the LGBTQ+ communities around the world.

As a national organisation, we understand how important it is to be proactive in promoting acceptance and equality and we hope lots of our members will enjoy taking part in this wonderful new event.

https://nwr.org.uk/nwr-pride-picnicplanning-pack/