Combating Loneliness in the Stokes

by Rev Tania Vaughan, Little Stoke Baptist Church –

It is clear as I look back over my first year in Little Stoke that the pandemic has left a legacy of loneliness. I hear many stories of the thriving community and have seen glimpses of it over this last year as people grow in confidence and begin once again to emerge into community life.

However, it is still a big problem as people became disconnected during lockdown and struggled to find the space and even the courage to connect with others again. 

Little Stoke Baptist Church (LSBC) has always been and remains a safe place for people to come for a coffee and a chat, bring a hobby, do a jigsaw and just chill out.

We offer a space where each person is accepted as they are and for who they are. Church Pastor, Tania Vaughan says, “Loneliness is the new pandemic and we must do everything we can to offer a place of welcome where people can be themselves and feel comfortable and safe.”

In term time the space is open from 9am to offer parents a place to chat and catch up after the school run, around 10.30am other members from the community wander in. Some stay for a quick cuppa others to chat and relax either in the hall or out in the newly renovated garden. There’s even a toddler area inside and out for those with little ones. 

It really is a space for everyone where the coffee (or tea) is free, the welcome is warm and the atmosphere relaxed. 

Why not pop in on a Thursday from 9am until noon at Little Stoke Baptist Church on Kingsway.

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