The Harpenden Guide is delighted to share the following details about the launch of a fabulous new community resource - The Compassionate Cafe.

The cafe is being launched by Rennie Grove Peace Hospice in collaboration with the Harpenden Trust and aims to provide a space for local people who have been affected by bereavement or any kind of loss to meet others by coming together for a coffee and a chat.

The cafe opens for the first time on Tuesday, 7 November 2023, and will then be open on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 2:00 to 3:30 PM.

The Café is open to all and the gatherings are designed to provide a sanctuary where individuals can connect and chat over a comforting cup of tea. Volunteers, trained by the skilled team at Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, will guide each session.

The initiative is not new to Herts. Having witnessed the positive impact of such cafés in Watford and beyond since December 2021, the expansion into Harpenden brings this valuable resource into our local fold. The approach is simple yet profound: come as you are, stay for as long as you wish, and leave when you're ready, no referrals or bookings needed.

Sara, one of the volunteers at the Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care Compassionate Café says:

“The cafes are a friendly and safe environment for people to meet others and have a chat. They are a great way of making friends or being signposted to local events of interest. I find that the sessions give people an opportunity to talk about their loss or bereavement and how they are coping. People really benefit from the peer support of sharing with others who are going through something similar. Compassionate Cafés are open to everybody – you don’t need to be referred to them or book a space in advance – you can just come when you want, stay for as long as you need and go when you want”

Alison May, Community Engagement Manager at Rennie Grove Peace Hospice Care, says:

“It has been wonderful to see the impact our Compassionate Cafés have had on both volunteers and attendees in our existing locations, so we’re really looking forward to bringing this to Harpenden. 

“The cafes are very informal in structure – they’re not a support group or counselling session – but people who come along tell us that they get a huge amount out of the peer support, and the chance to meet other people who understand their loss. I’d encourage anybody in the area who has experienced any type of bereavement or loss to come along to the sessions and see what they can take away from them.” 

For more information on the Compassionate Café, click here or email compassion@renniegrovepeace.org, or call 01923 330 330.