Appeal for more volunteers to tackle loneliness

A national charity aimed at tackling loneliness is looking for more volunteers in Lincolnshire.

The Chatty Café Scheme arranges regular community get-togethers in cafes, pubs, libraries or community centres, with more than 800 in operation across the country.

However, volunteer manager Jenny Bimpson said organisers were keen to set up more events in the county.

Mary Barlow, who runs a scheme in Long Bennington, near Grantham, said it was "a joy to engage with people”.

Under the scheme venues agree to set aside a few tables for several hours on a regular basis and volunteers welcome people and help keep the conversation flowing.

Louise Baker owns Baker's at SixtyTwo, in Long Bennington, which hosts a local weekly scheme.

"Mary approached me and asked if we could hold it here and it just speaks for itself - the community are coming in and having a chat and you can see their smiles and it's just lovely," she said.

Jane Roper, who has been attending the cafe since it opened in the summer, said: "I work from home and it means that, in a busy week, I have managed to get out and hopefully helped someone else as well."

Pat Mitchel said the weekly events were a chance to "chat and moan" and "get it all off your chest and go home feeling a lot better" while Cathy Elms, who often brings her 86-year-old mother-in-law, said: "It's a really nice break to come here and to know there's an open invitation."

The national scheme was created by founder Alex Hoskyn in 2017 and has since expanded to include a telephone befriending service.

Volunteers and venues register with the charity and hosts are given online training.

Ms Bimpson told the BBC: "When I've looked on our map on our website we don't really have any in the centre of Lincoln, so we need more venues signing up to the scheme."

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