A NEW cafe idea to tackle loneliness is launching in Clydebank.
Costa Coffee in Clyde Shopping Centre will be one of more than 900 cafes across the UK taking part in “The Chatty Cafe Scheme”.
Set up by 34-year-old mum Alex Hoskyn, the idea is to encourage residents to drop in, sit at a table with a distinctive sign indicating they are happy to be spoken to by other customers or staff.
It is hoped it will help lonely people, particularly the elderly, and will also be at sites such as St Mungo’s Museum of Religious Life and Art, Bellahouston Leisure Centre, Tollcross International Swimming Centre, Kelvin Hall and Tramway in Glasgow.
And it follows the successful launch earlier this year by Golden Friendships of the “Grab a Granny” scheme to combat isolation.
Read more: Golden Friendships set to launch 'Grab a Granny' campaign
The move to include other venues in Glasgow with the cafe scheme comes after last year’s Campaign to End Loneliness revealed that more than two-thirds of Glaswegians had experienced loneliness at some point in their lives.
It was also found that nine in 10 people in Glasgow believe loneliness in older age is now “more likely than ever”.
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