Forging new friendships at the Hubbub Cafe in Bristol

The Hubbub Café is a bustling Warm Welcome Space at the heart of the Lockleaze Community in Bristol. It’s run by the Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust and offers guests a safe space where everyone is welcome. All that it offers is shaped by the local community, and there’s a real sense of ownership and co-production. 

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Maria Perrett, Community Activator, as part of a small but dedicated team, supports local residents to connect and work together to make sure the community is a great place to live. The wonderful Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust team knows everyone’s name and creates a real sense of “family” within the community. The Hubbub Café has become a Lockleaze institution and continues to be shaped by the community. Along with offering hot drinks, delicious cakes, and cooked food, the Hubbub Café offers guests a wide range of free advice sessions, from housing advice, managing money, and getting online to in-depth sessions on managing health issues such as hearing loss. 

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The Warmest Welcome

When you arrive at Hubbub, you get the warmest welcome. 

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“Can I get you a hot cuppa and a cookie?” asks Simon. 

Simon is one of the dedicated Hubbub volunteers, greeting everyone with the friendliest and most cheerful smile. Simon and Steven, who both volunteer at the Warm Welcome Space, invite you in and make sure everyone feels part of the Lockleaze community. Simon was so keen to make us feel at home, introducing us to all the regulars as they walked through the door. And Simon was super keen to have his picture taken so he could put it in pride of place above the Café space where he works.

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Forging unlikely and unusual friendships

Andy and Ted are Hubbub regulars. They look forward to Wednesdays, spending time together and meeting new people. Andy described his friendship with Ted as ‘rather unusual.’ Andy told us that before they met, Ted had struggled to find a captive audience to share his love of gadgets! Ted has now found a soulmate in Andy.

Andy and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Until two years ago, Andy and Ted had never met. By chance they had the same GP, who was running a health project in partnership with ACE (Active, Connected, Engaged), a peer-volunteering programme designed to help older adults improve physical function, enhance mobility, and build meaningful social connections. 

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Andy and Ted were paired and started meeting up. Until they met, Ted, who has chronic arthritis, wasn’t getting out and about very much, which wasn’t good for his health. Both Andy and Ted are widowers. Ted was struggling with a triple bereavement. His 52-year-old son and wife died within a six-month period, and shortly afterwards his dog passed away too. Ted was feeling really lonely and wasn’t getting out of the house very much. Since first meeting each other, Andy and Ted now have a good reason to make the trek to Hubbub every Wednesday. 

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“It’s never quite clear to me who gets the most from our partnership. Me or Ted. I really enjoy it. Ted is full of stories, and he really makes me laugh all the time. And it’s a change of scenery, learning about a new part of Bristol and being introduced to new people,” says Andy.

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“Since I’ve now been out and about with Andy on a Wednesday, I now go out nearly every day. It’s been a big change for me. Because I’ve got arthritis. I’ve had it for over 60 years. But walking with Andy is really helping me out. On top of walking, I’m doing exercises now that I wasn’t doing before. I feel more confident being with somebody,” adds Ted.

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Andy adds, “On a Wednesday I get to go down a hill and up a hill on the way there, and then up a hill and back down a hill on the way back, whether I like it or not, or whether it’s raining or not! Every week, you meet someone or learn something, and I really enjoy that. We get on really well, and Ted’s a really positive guy. I think this is just great. My own experience has just been terrific. And I’m in great shape!”

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Andy reflects that although it wasn’t meant to be a long-term commitment, he thought that there was nothing to lose and potentially a lot to gain. It’s exactly how it turned out. Ted and Andy have been meeting up at Hubbub for more than two years. The study finished a long time ago, but they really enjoy each other’s company.

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A place where I belong

Andy says Hubbub is a pretty special place, full of pretty special people, and he loves that it’s full of all kinds of ages sharing time and stories together. “There’s quite an energy about the place, and we really enjoy it.”

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Maria and Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust’s dedicated team are always looking at new ways to encourage more people into the warmth of Hubbub. Lockleaze is a richly diverse part of Bristol, as Maria says, “We want everyone who walks past to look in through the window and say that’s full of people like me. That’s a place for me; I belong there.”

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Find out more about Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust: https://www.lockleazent.co.uk/

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