We opened our coffee morning in Hanwell last September, aware that there were some people who were on their own and hadn’t been able to see anyone during the pandemic. We had no idea if anyone would venture inside the church, but we took the plunge and made sure that everything was safe to go ahead.
We spread out six tables, which had plenty of room around each one, and obeyed all the rules that the government had issued. We were so glad that we did it, as every Wednesday it’s such a joy seeing those who have been able to come out to have some coffee, a slice of cake and most importantly, a chat with a volunteer.
Gill is busy in the kitchen brewing up a selection of different flavours of tea and makes proper coffee. Suzanne cuts and serves a choice from three types of homemade cake. Our other volunteers help by serving the tea and coffee and having conversations with the visitors. I stand outside and encourage people to come in. Sometimes they can be more hesitant, but after some kind words and understanding of what we do here, they often come inside. Our coffee morning is free, but we have had many donations towards what we do.
I have some lovely chats with people who pass by and enquire. They have all said what a wonderful job we are doing here.
It’s so heartening when the visitors leave and tap me on the shoulder to say: “Thank you, I haven’t seen anyone for ages to talk to.” This means so much to them. So now we have regulars that come every week.
We have some people that ask if they can just come in to pray, which is also really nice, and as Rev Ajay is here most Wednesdays, he is on hand if people need a prayer said for them.
We hand out cake for those in a hurry, or have come by from the Food Bank across the road. I’m so saddened looking across the road and seeing how many people are waiting for it to open. I now realise how many local people need a helping hand, and we hope that our coffee morning can be of help too.
If you’re passing by on a Wednesday morning, please pop in for refreshments as we will be happy to welcome those who haven’t been. Better yet, have a think about volunteering, whether it’s making cakes, helping to serve hot drinks or to just speak to those who may be lonely in these times.