Oldham mum’s bid to combat loneliness has helped 30,000 people living in isolation

A major scheme designed to tackle loneliness and set up by an Oldham mum has reached a major milestone having helped 30,000 people in less than 10 years.

The Chatty Cafe scheme, established in 2017 by social worker Alex Hoskyn, was inspired by her own experience of loneliness as a new mum.  

The mother of two (42) who lives in Uppermill aims to sign up the 1,000th Chatty Café venue this year (2026).  

To deliver this ambitious expansion plan, and serve more parts of the UK, £1million of funding over five years is required.  

Currently there are 750 participating venues in the UK including around 50 in Greater Manchester, hosted by volunteers in cafés, pubs, community centres, care homes and Costa Coffee stores. 

The Chatty Café Scheme founder, Alex, was at the time a new mum on maternity leave with her first son Henry (now aged 9).   

She explained: “Almost ten years ago the scheme was born from my own experience of loneliness after having Henry. In many ways it was the happiest time of my life, but with my husband, Ryan, and friends at work, the days were long and lonely. 

“I was sat alone in a café one day, struggling with the isolation of motherhood, and there was an elderly lady at one table and a gentleman with a disability and his carer at another.  

"I thought ‘wouldn’t it be great to sit together’. The simple act of 20 minutes of connection, company and conversation could change everyone’s day. But approaching a stranger is not comfortable for either party. 

“So, I thought ‘why not put a sign on tables inviting people to sit and chat’ and the idea for The Chatty Café Scheme was born.   

“It addressed a far wider need. People are generally happier having human contact. A designated table means customers who want to talk to each other can.   

“It’s good to have a mix too, as you don’t necessarily want to sit with people just like you.  I didn’t just want to socialise with other young mums, and many older people don’t want to just chat with people their own age. 

“The Chatty Café Scheme has really taken off. I work full time as a social worker, so my two sisters, Abi Murray and Jenny Conway, run the social enterprise on a day-to-day basis for me.  

“We’re not running it as a business to make money. Any profit gets ploughed back into the scheme. We now have around 750 participating venues, and our ambition is to reach 1,000 by the time we celebrate our 10th anniversary next April. To continue to expand we need to raise £1 million over the next five years so we can help thousands more people living in isolation. There’s no reason why the scheme couldn’t extend into schools, colleges and even businesses. We’re really proud to have helped 30,000 people so far.” 

National figures show loneliness has increased since the pandemic, with millions of adults reporting feeling lonely “often” or “always”. 

An independent evaluation by Coventry University found that: 

• 96 per cent of Chatty Café users felt less lonely 

• 70 per cent made new friendships 

• 80 per cent reported improved confidence 

Local cafés, community centres, pubs and organisations across Greater Manchester are encouraged to consider becoming Chatty Café Scheme venues. 

To find your nearest Chatter & Natter table, become a venue, volunteer or supporter, visit: 
www.thechattycafescheme.co.uk 

To become a Chatty Café Scheme venue, find your nearest Chatter & Natter table, be a supporter or volunteer visit www.thechattycafescheme.co.uk.