Where the coffee and good chats flow
Every second Wednesday of the month, the smell of coffee and baked goods will be wafting through the air from St Andrew’s Church in Walkerville.
A new Chatty Café has taken up residence in the church, allowing locals in the community to connect, meet for a chat and have a cuppa – all for free!
The Walkerville Community Committee (WCC) and St Andrew’s Church are working together to provide a safe place for people to meet, while assisting in reducing loneliness and isolation in the community.
As part of the Chatty Café Scheme, people are able to search online to find their closest Chatty Café, and Walkerville is now on the map!
With one Chatty Café session under their belt (recently launched in early August), Councillor Liz Trotter, Presiding Officer of the WCC, said this initiative is great for the community and its residents.
“I think [Chatty Café] strengthens who our Council and our Township really are.We are meant to be a village, and I think this is a village environment,” explains Ms Trotter.
“I want our Chatty Café to be something that really connects with the community and provides another part of the village that people can enjoy.”
For new Reverend Tracey Gracey at St Andrew’s Church, connecting with the local community and building relationships through the Chatty Café is an excellent way to engage in the Township.
She believes the Chatty Café provides the perfect environment for people to actually connect, while being free of common pressures people face when getting out and about.
“People need relationships. They also need a place where people can talk freely, and a lot of cafés are really loud, so to have a place that is a bit more quiet and has space
as well to move around. We thought that was important,” explains Reverend Gracey.
“We are looking forward to meeting people in the community, building relationships and offering our hospitality.”
As part of its support for the local Chatty Café, the Walkerville Community Committee will be funding tea, coffee and baked goodies for the next financial year.
The Walkerville Chatty Café is held on the second Wednesday of each month from 10am - 11am at St Andrew’s Church (43 Church Terrace, Walkerville), with the potential to move around to different locations in the future.
The Walkerville Chatty Café is also looking for volunteers to assist with preparation or to provide their excellent ‘chatting’ skills. If you are interested, please contact 8342 7100.
