Chatty Chair comes to Gorleston
One of Norfolk’s “Chatty Chairs” is set to come to the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston this weekend as part of their Health and Wellbeing event on 24th September. The “Chatty Chair” project was launched earlier this year and forms part of wider efforts to tackle social isolation and loneliness across the county.
The aim of the chairs is to encourage people in Norfolk to engage in conversation and make connections within their community. There are kindness tokens available that people can take away with them to keep for themselves or share with someone in the neighbourhood. There are also conversation cards and positive affirmation cards made by a local art student located with the chairs.
About a dozen volunteers from the community art group in Brockdish and Burston devoted over 100 hours to decorating the ‘Chatty Chairs’. Both chairs where kindly donated by local residents to the project.
The chairs were unveiled to the artists’ families and friends in August at a local art exhibition in Burston. The official launch was on the 10th of September to mark Suicide Prevention Day.
Pam Spicer, who works for Better Together (Voluntary Norfolk’s service which seeks to tackle loneliness and social isolation) that is helping oversee the initiative, said:
“The chair and companion chair were created as a joint project with lots of people coming together to complete it. It was a fun and social activity with plenty of coffee, cake and laughter along the way.
“Members of the art group wanted it to stand out and have a positive and welcoming vibe about it. Work soon got underway by painters, crocheters and knitters, all using their own talents and imagination to make the chair into something special. A big thank you goes to Julie Filmer our local artist who was on hand to guide everyone.
“We hope that during the chairs’ journey around Norfolk, it will help to create friendships and open up conversations.”
If you would like to find out more about the chatty chair, host it, or even make your own chair please contact: : Pam.spicer@bettertogethernorfolk.org.uk
