Chatter and Natter Table helping to tackle loneliness and isolation
11 October 2024
The Chatter and Natter Table is the latest innovation to be launched at Café Central in Bishop Street in Derry.
The launch of the scheme was made possible with support from the enterprise service Go Succeed administered by Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Business Support Team.
A Chatter and Natter table creates a space for people to talk, it’s about enabling simple interactions to combat loneliness and encouraging people to get out of the house and make new friends in a social, supportive setting. It brings people from all walks of life together and has the potential to have a big impact on someone’s day.
Café Central is a social enterprise, serving a local menu from a beautiful space right in the heart of the City. Profits generated from Café Central are reinvested back to the parent charity Foyle Women’s Aid. The Café symbolises so much more than just somewhere great to grab coffee or lunch, the space is also used to host a hospitality training academy for return-to-work schemes and empowers women back into economic independence through training and mentoring.
With the launch of their Chatter and Natter table, the Derry enterprise joins the UK wide Chatty Café Scheme.
One of the first visitors to the Chatter and Natter table was the Deputy Mayor, Darren Guy. He explained: “It’s wonderful to see a facility like this opening in the City. We know there are many local people who suffer from loneliness and isolation, so to have this safe, warm space where they can come along and have a chat and meet new people could make all the difference to them. The fact any profits from Café Central are reinvested to Foyle Women’s Aid is an added bonus.”
Also attending the launch event were members of Council’s Business Support Team who were available throughout to provide information to anyone who was thinking about starting their own business or social enterprise.
Welcoming the new Chatter and Natter table to Café Central, Sarah Quinn, Business Development Manager, with Foyle Women’s Aid said: “We opened the doors of Café Central in March this year and over a short period of time, we are a thriving social enterprise, with a great hospitality team.
“Joining the Chatty Café Scheme is an opportunity to give the local community a welcoming space to meet up and chat and in turn helps us to put Café Central on the map. We have signed up to the Go Succeed programme to get help and support in developing our brand and extending the business to offer outside catering, we are very thankful for the opportunity. The networking and support via online events alone has been invaluable.”
Go Succeed is the Entrepreneurship Support Service for Northern Ireland, funded by the UK Government.
If you have your own business idea and don’t know where to get started or want to take your existing company to the next level, you can speak to the team at Go Succeed.
All services have been designed to provide entrepreneurs and businesses with the right tools to either get off the ground or grow their organisations - and boost the wider economy. The tools include mentoring, masterclasses, peer networks and opportunities to access grant funding and a business plan and are tailored to support the needs of the specific service users.
To find out more about Go Succeed, the help on offer, and to see a calendar of upcoming events and workshops, visit www.go-succeed.com.
For further information on the support programmes available to set up and grow your business through Derry City and Strabane District Council visit derrystrabane.com/business and follow @Business Support Derry Strabane.