Conquering loneliness: call for Wigan to join Talkin' Tables scheme
A scheme that has thrown a lifeline to countless isolated people is trying to help people in Wigan.
Talkin’ Tables is the brainchild of Marjorie Hayward, founder of the Friends for You befriending service in neighbouring Chorley.
She set up the scheme three years ago in the middle of the pandemic and it involves encouraging people who are confined too long to their homes to come out to meet others in local cafes for a chat.
Each cafe that volunteers to take part in the scheme sets aside a table for an hour once a week (usually one of its quietest hours of business) at which a “table leader” gets the conversations going.
Marjorie, dubbed the “loneliness champion” in her home town, started off with five cafes in Chorley but this has ballooned to 23, with a network of 80 set up across the country plus two in Cyprus!
And yet neighbour Wigan has been slow on the uptake so far.
A fledgling first Talkin’ Table has, however, just been established at The Little Kitchen in the Grand Arcade shopping centre, with volunteer Sue Coutanche as its table leader. It was officially opened by Wigan mayor Coun Debbie Parkinson last month.
Cafe bosses are delighted with the idea and folk are invited to come to Sue’s table (as is the tradition, it will always have a distinctive Talkin’ Tables topper on it) on Tuesdays from 2pm to 3pm.
But now the idea is to encourage more people to attend this session and get more cafes and leaders across the borough involved.
Marjorie said: “So many people suffered loneliness during the pandemic lockdown and quite a lot of them were then frightened to come out after it was over, meaning that isolation continued.
"I was supposed to be the so-called 'loneliness champion’ in Chorley and thought I had better try to do something about it. And from that the idea of Talkin’ Tables came about.
"We want people to realise that they don’t need to be confined by the four walls of their homes and spend all the time watching daytime television. There are opportunities to get out and meet other people, socialise, have a chat and make new friends.
"Sue is compassionate and loving and a good listener, which is what you need to be a table leader and she can be found where you see our Table Topper” in the Little Kitchen.
Marjorie admits that Wigan has been a hard nut to crack so far.
She added: “It’s been a bit mystifying because there has been no shortage of people contacting us on Facebook saying ‘why aren’t there Talkin’ Tables in Wigan?’ ‘When are they coming here?’
“But we are finally making inroads and hope that isolated Wigan people will take their courage in both hands and come along for the first time. We are nice people and we are here for you!”
Marjorie is wanting other venues and prospective table leaders to get in touch with her in the hope of expanding the scheme locally. She can be contacted via email at [email protected] and people can also visit the website for further information at talkintables.co.uk