Stories of Kindness: Place of Welcome café Norris Green
Our latest Stories of Kindness video takes us inside the Place of Welcome community café at Christ Church Norris Green – a warm, friendly space where people of all ages come together to share food and friendship.
Run by local charity Triple C (Liverpool), the café runs every Tuesday from 12pm–2pm and is much more than a place to eat. It’s a lifeline against loneliness, building connections across generations and giving people a sense of belonging.
Guests and volunteers alike describe it as a welcoming environment where everyone feels valued and supported, bringing together different generations to share food, company, and meaningful connections.
"I like the people and I like the spirit of the place”
One regular visitor May shares: “I’m 82 years old. I’m a widow and I live in the local community. I’ve been coming here over 12 months. I like the people and I like the spirit of the place.”
She adds: “It makes a big difference to my life. It absolutely does because I come out and I have a nice hot meal and I talk to my friends and have a cup of tea and then I go home in the afternoon real happy,”
The spirit of warmth and friendliness is echoed by many who come through the doors each week to share hot meals, tea, coffee, cake, and biscuits.
The café welcomes everyone – from young mums with toddlers to older people who come for a chat and to catch up.
For many it’s a weekly highlight, offering more than just food – it’s a lifeline against isolation. Local mum Jess says her children enjoy interacting with the older generations, and coming to the cafe helps reduce loneliness.
She says: “I can sit here for an hour having spoke to a few people and then go home and feel a bit more fulfilled… It’s just nice to see everyone. It’s lovely.”
Volunteers are at the heart of the café’s success, and it also gives many of them a sense of purpose. Colin says, “The atmosphere and the people are so friendly… We get a range of people coming through that door. We like to keep them happy with food.”
He adds: “The reason why I keep coming back are the people and the friendliness. Otherwise, I’d be sitting on my own watching TV. I don't want to watch TV all my life, I want to be active.”
Lead volunteer Amanda Fawcett says: “It does combat loneliness. They do look forward to it each week. It’s just somewhere where they can go and they know that they’re going to meet friendly people.”
Guest May has now applied to be a volunteer herself, sharing: “I’d like to help other people like they’ve helped me.” She reflects: “Everybody needs some company… you do need conversation with somebody else. And I think that’s a good thing.”
Funding and Community Support
The weekly Place of Welcome 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. Last year Feeding Liverpool provided a £500 energy grant and a further £750 for food supplies, enabling the café to offer hot meals, which are ordered in from an external caterer.
The café serves an average of around 24 guests per week. The team of around ten volunteers hosted 403 individual visits by adults to the project, from April to September 2024.
Interested in Becoming a Place of Welcome?
Together Liverpool is supporting the growth of the Places of Welcome across our region. Get in touch to find out more about how these projects help tackle loneliness and social isolation in our communities.