Research indicates that one in four people experiences a sense of loneliness and social disconnection every week.
For those who may be feeling lonely, need some support or simply want to have some friendly conversation, Chatty Cafés provide a place where they can connect for a chat, either on a set day and time or at any time during the week.
Whether it’s in a local café or coffee shop, a pub, a club or a venue like a library, church or community centre, Chatty Café tables can be a community hub and brighten someone’s day.
Everyone is welcome!
In 2017, new mum Alex Hoskyn was sitting in a café with her baby on a wet and windy day in the UK.
Looking around she saw an elderly lady and a young man with a disability sitting at other tables, looking as lonely as she felt.
What a difference it would make, she thought, if they could have talked together, sharing stories and providing comfort. From that thought, idea of a special “chatter and natter” table took shape. Somewhere where people could gather for a coffee and conversation.
Since then, the Chatty Café scheme has grown to have several hundred venues in the UK and spread to Australia in 2019 and the US in 2022.
Now, GrandFriends, an established charity that connects older people and families to create lasting friendships and memories, is bringing Chatty Cafés to New Zealand.
The New Zealand Chatty Café’s informal partnership with the UK organisation began in January 2026, after GrandFriends Founder, Jo Hayes saw the scheme online. Realising this was an initiative that would be in perfect alignment to the work GrandFriends does, she contacted the UK team. After some communication with the UK team, as well as Glenys Reid from Australia, the decision was made to bring Chatty Café to New Zealand.
Jo experienced social isolation and loneliness herself when her marriage broke up in 2015 and this led to her starting GrandFriends NZ.
A ‘Have a Chat’ table creates a space for people to talk; whether it is for five minutes or an hour of good, friendly conversation, while they drink a brew of choice and/or eat a snack or meal.
