Christ Church Place of Welcome: a hub for community connection in Norris Green

"Making that first step can be scary"

Amanda said: “Once a week we open up the space as a welcoming place where people can come along and meet. We have guests coming in of all different ages, mums and daughters, couples, groups of friends, people who come alone, it’s really varied and in the school holidays we get more families coming in.”

Amanda says for those experiencing loneliness or isolation the café is a chance to get out of the house for a couple of hours. She adds: “Some people have become friends, they come week in week out, and they look forwards to coming. People say it’s a nice warm space, some people might not put the heating on at home, and for others when they come in, that’s two hours they don’t have to put the heating on at home.

"We’ve had some lovely feedback from our guests, some of the comments are really lovely about how it provides company and helps them get out of the house. Two hours a week means a lot, it gets people out of the house and making that first step can be scary, but it gives people something to look forwards to.”

Funding and Community Support

The café on Sedgemoor Road is made possible by the generosity of the local community. Triple C (Liverpool) manages the volunteers, administration, and funding. Christ Church provides the cabin space as part of its charitable giving, and Cobalt Housing recently awarded a £3,000 grant to support the café.

Feeding Liverpool has provided a £500 energy grant and a further £750 for food supplies, enabling the café to offer hot meals like chicken curry, scouse, and hot dogs which are ordered in from an external caterer.

A Strong Volunteer Community

The volunteers are at the heart of running a Place of Welcome. Amanda says fostering a culture of support and confidence amongst the volunteers is crucial, in addition to their training in safeguarding and food hygiene.

Amanda says: “It’s really important to recruit enough volunteers from the local community, and make sure you are supporting volunteers to be happy. We initially found our volunteers through the church, through local leaflets, and social media. We have about ten volunteers and we run in two shifts with about five to seven people coming each week. We have a little WhatsApp group to keep in touch with each other and if one of us can’t come or needs something the others can help out. The fact that we are well supported and happy as a team makes a big difference in the community, as we give such a nice welcome it shows people we have time for everyone.”

Amanda, a mum of four, cares full time for two of her sons aged 28 and 10, who both have autism. She says the cafe is a respite for her too: “For me it’s amazing to have this place to come to because otherwise I’m confined in my space and this helps me come out of it. It’s a good meeting space for the community. It’s somewhere to go that’s local. I’ve lived here most of my life and to be able to have a place like this on your doorstep where you feel safe and welcome is wonderful. If I didn’t volunteer here I’d definitely come as a guest. It feels good to know you are helping the whole community, from old to young everyone is accepted, and we are not selling or pushing anything – the emphasis is on being a warm welcoming space.”

Making a bigger difference in the community

In the year since launching as a Place of Welcome, the café has become a hub in the heart of the community. The local community police officer regularly pops in, as do staff from the local Cobalt housing association.

Café volunteer Joan Ellis got involved in Christ Church after meeting someone at a bus stop who told her about a knit and natter group.

She said: “Everyone is welcome and they can have as many cups of tea and coffee as they want, and biscuits and cakes too. We also offer a hot meal which can be a chicken curry and rice, scouse, hot dogs. We give them leftovers to take home too. Mainly people come for the company, a lot of them have made friends here, they sit together at the tables and chat, and if they have children, they can play together too. It gives people a bit of company, and they like the camaraderie with the volunteers too, we have a bit of banter. Some people live alone and don’t go out at all during the week, a lot of parents come and bring their children. They rely on it now and some have started getting involved in other activities too like our gardening group, so there’s a real sense of community.”

Joan said in the school holidays, more families visit, and many new guests soon feel at home, with some joining in other activities like the church gardening group.

Community Feedback

The feedback from café visitors underscores the value of the café to Norris Green. Comments collected in a recent Triple C (Liverpool) survey describe the café as a “warm, safe and happy place to come,” with guests expressing gratitude for the opportunity to connect with others. Here’s what some guests had to say:

• “Gets me out socialising with others.”
• “Lovely to be able to meet people as I am a single mum there are very few places that have this type of environment.”
• “Does a great job serving the community.”
• “Everyone is made to feel welcome, and you can meet all sorts of people.”
• “A great place to go with lovely people and very welcoming.”

What Kindness Means

Reflecting on the heart of the Place of Welcome’s mission, Amanda sums up her thoughts on kindness: “Something you do that is freely given, not expecting anything back.”

Useful links

The main criteria for becoming a Place of Welcome is a commitment to the Network’s five values - read more: Place, People, Presence, Provision and Participation. You can join the Places of Welcome Network if you:

• Already have an existing drop-in style activity that you would like to be added to the map.
• Would like to set up a new Place of Welcome in your community

Book here to attend Together Liverpool’s “Becoming a Place of Welcome” workshop for faith and community groups, from 2pm-3pm on Thursday November 7^th

Follow Triple C (Liverpool) on Facebook or visit their and website. Find out more about Christ Church Norris Green on their website.