One Year Anniversary of the Conversation Cafe
21st March marked the one-year anniversary of the Conversations Cafes. Run by Haringey Reach and Connect, the Cafes offer over 50’s in the borough a chance to practice their English conversation skills in a welcoming and friendly environment. It was launched in 2023 to help tackle loneliness and isolation.
The Cafes, run by Community Connector Alessandra, take place in Wood Green once a week. They support local people to make new social connections through love of language and conversation.
In its inaugural year, the project has been a major success, and Haringey Reach and Connect hope to expand the Cafe to two other venues.
Alessandra said: “The Conversations Cafes have truly become a hub of warmth and connection in our community. Seeing the positive impact it has had on the attendees reaffirms the importance of fostering inclusive spaces where people can come together, share experiences, and build meaningful relationships.”
Feedback from the attendees has been overwhelmingly positive. One attendee said: “I have attended enough sessions to be able to say that I have found them very enjoyable. It has been great to have met so many varied nationalities in the people I have met them all. I have also found it very good to be able to attend a place where people are warm and welcoming and friendly and great conversations are had and great foods are being shared.”
Another attendee said: “I like the group because it helps me tackle my isolation, to be able to taste other member’s countries’ food. The atmosphere of this group is very good which creates a keenness to attend whenever I can, and it has made me develop a sense of belonging.”
A regular at the Cafe also said: “It is a good place to welcome people who are isolated, it is a good motive for me to leave the house to be able to socialise and meet other people with different backgrounds, cultures and other interesting features.”
You can watch the video below to get a better sense of how the Cafes look and feel.
