Pull up a chair and get chatting!

Business giants Costa Coffee have taken on an Oldham woman's battle against loneliness.

Alexandra Hoskyn was sat feeling fed-up in a supermarket cafe with her four-month-old son when she noticed an elderly lady sat alone and a young man with severe additional needs with his support worker.

On her website, Alexandra says: "I know from experience that when you are feeling lonely, a short  interaction with another human can really brighten your day."

Knowing the value that a small conversation would have had in that cafe, she began to imagine the Chatter & Natter table.

Now, the Chatty Cafe scheme is having that positive impact across the country.

The project involves designated Chatter & Natter tables in cafes where people from all walks of life can enjoy conversation over a brew.

The purpose is not necessarily to create friendships, but to have simple social interactions that can really alter someone's day.

Costa Coffee's recent study into the nation's conversation habits have shown that we are turning our backs on face-to-face communication.

In fact, nearly 60% of us talk less in person than we did ten years ago.

For those less comfortable in a digital age, this can lead to a real feeling of loneliness.

The Campaign to End Loneliness - one of Chatty Cafe's sponsors - cite research by Age UK which found that two out of every five older people say that the television is their main company.

Alexandra's campaign aims to resolve some of these feelings by recognising the importance of the type of simple conversation that we are in danger of neglecting.

The idea is catching on; Costa Coffee recently announced that they would be the first chain to adopt the scheme nationwide, establishing Chatter & Natter tables across 300 branches.

Until then, the Chatty Cafe website has a tool to locate your nearest table.

In Oldham, Sainsbury's cafe and the Boathouse Cafe are just a few places part of the movement, so make sure to pull up a chair and get chatting!

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