Mayor of St Albans Cllr Anthony Rowlands, visited a new community conversation initiative named 'A Chance to Chat', organised by St Albans Anna Chaplaincy.
Launched at Morrisons in Fleetville, the weekly meetings aim to offer emotional and spiritual support to older residents.
Councillor Rowlands and Mayoress Annie Stevenson visited the project on May 6, and expressed their appreciation for the volunteers.
Attendees can drop in every Monday at the supermarket's café from 9.30am to 11.30am, with no prerequisites for joining nor costs.
After his visit, Cllr Rowlands said: "I was delighted to visit ‘A Chance to Chat’ and grateful to St Albans Morrisons for hosting the weekly drop-in.
"Loneliness is a major problem in our society, and I welcome this initiative to help people connect with others.
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"I’d encourage anyone who would like to meet friendly local people to drop into the Morrisons café on Monday mornings. They’ll be sure to receive a warm welcome."
Lead chaplain Maggie Dodd said: "It’s been great to bring together a small group of local people, happy to chat with anyone who fancies popping by.
"We hope being at Morrisons every week will provide an opportunity for anyone to share a hot drink and a chat with a friendly person."
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