Growing Success For Chiswick Cafe Conversations

For those who feel like coffee and a chat in their neighbourhood

The Chiswick Cafe Conversations, set up by local resident Louise Kaye, have attracted interest from people from a range of backgrounds and ages. Louise says that she is delighted with the numbers who have attended coffee and conversation sessions in both Avanti restaurant and Grove Park cafe, and is hoping that more people will come along.

People attended for a variety of reasons, some were new to the area and wanted to make friends, others had family members who were ill and needed a break from the house. The ages ranged from people in their 70s to in their 30s.

Louise tells how she first got the idea:

"On Tuesday 2 October I was listening to The Anatomy of Loneliness on Radio 4 and was struck by how isolated people of all ages can feel, even when they are surrounded by others.

"As I’ve always been the sort of person who talks to strangers, it’s not been an issue for me, but I can completely understand why others may find that challenging.

"It occurred to me that one possible solution was to get owners of local cafes to allocate a regular two-hour slot when they don’t have too many customers, to encourage people to come along for a cup of tea or coffee and give them the chance to chat to others in a similar situation. Then I remembered an article I had read a while ago in the Guardian which I found intriguing. Maybe that would be a good idea? No small talk, but the chance to make a real connection with someone you don’t know…

"Anyway, being someone who likes action, I set out immediately to speak to Eric Ackermann, the owner of my local café/restaurant, Avanti, which is at Bedford Corner. He jumped at the idea and suggested Monday afternoons between 3:00 and 5:00 would be ideal. He isn’t bothered about people spending money.

"Chiswick being a big area sadly divided by the A4, I then went off to meet Shazad Malak, the owner of Café Grove, 7 Grove Park Road. He is more than happy to have people come along on Wednesdays, also between 3:00 and 5:00.

"So now there are two places in Chiswick, one on each side of the A4 divide, to get the ball rolling."

Over a dozen people turned up to the first session at Avanti, and a slightly smaller number at Grove Park. So if you are tired of looking at your four walls and feel you need a break, make a note:

Monday session at Avanti, 4 Bedford Corner, W4 1LD at 3:00.
Wednesday sessions will be at Cafe Grove, 7 Grove Park Road, W4 3RS at 3:00.

They will continue weekly until week commencing 17 December and then begin again in January.
There will be two volunteers hosting each session. Their role is to welcome people, introduce everyone to each other and hand out the sheets to groups of 3 or 4 with suggested questions to get conversations going.

October 31, 2018