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At Educafe, we believe that no one should have to navigate the challenges of life alone.
Our mission is to build a welcoming, supportive community where every individual feels valued, connected, and empowered. Loneliness and isolation can have a significant impact on mental health, but through our key initiatives - Community Café, Knit and Natter, Parents Village and Chatty Corner - we are building stronger, more supportive communities. We offer not just these services but also friendship, comfort, and a safe space to share. We’re helping people make meaningful connections and improve their overall wellbeing.
Learn more about how Educafe helps combat loneliness, isolation and improve mental wellbeing.
By supporting Educafe, you are directly helping to create a stronger, healthier, and more resilient community. Your donations enable us to continue providing these essential services and support more people.
Massive thanks, The Educafe Team |
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We’re excited to bring you the latest news from our buzzing community hub! |
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| Since September, we’ve welcomed 980 visitors to Educafe. |
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We’re so proud to see our vibrant community growing. Whether you’re a volunteer, a knitter, a chatter, or a community business or service, we’ve loved having you with us. |
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| My name is Maureen Laing, I’m 79. Educafe’s Knit and Natter is a really great outlet for companionship, meeting new friends and learning new skills. I do lots of gardening but it’s really nice to get out and come here to meet people that you have never met before.
I’ve always belonged to the library and I was here one day on a Wednesday (I didn’t usually come on Wednesdays), to this lovely noise coming down from upstairs; chatting, laughing and giggling. I found the Knit and Natter group! I have been coming every since, and brought a friend with me.
Listen to Maureen Laing share her full story |
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We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our free Money Saving Service, along with a new monthly group session focused on practical money-saving tips!
This confidential space is designed for anyone needing help with managing household bills, saving money, or accessing additional signposting toother agencies across West Berkshire or nationally. So far, 45 people have already benefited from the advice of our Household Bills Adviser, Claire, and our wonderful volunteers.
'I was very satisfied with the help Claire gave me with my electricity bill. It was nice to speak to someone face-to-face.’
‘Educafe’s Money Saving Service has helped me to save money on my electricity bill and I am now paying less for my Wi-Fi! Thank you very much!’ |
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|  | | Spread the word to anyone who may need this vital support and come along to our monthly sessions to share your experiences and learn together! |
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 | Requests are always welcomed! New volunteers are also very welcome with any level of experience. We can teach knitting, crochet and sewing skills.
Contact us about wool donations. |
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| Our amazing Knit & Natter group continue to work their magic! We’d like to thank everyone for their kind wool donations which allow us to keep knitting baby clothes for Royal Berkshire Hospital - baby unit, Christmas gifts for sale in aid of Educafe, along with blankets and winter woollies for those in need here and in Ukraine.
‘Thank you to the amazing volunteers, my little one was a premature baby at the Royal Berks and lived in the knitted cardigans and hats made by Educafe’s kind-hearted volunteers. You are making a real difference!’
Read more about how Knit & Natter offers a welcoming space to ease loneliness through shared knitting, conversation, and camaraderie. |
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Newbury College & Educafe collaboration |
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| Educafe in collaboration with Newbury College is offering a new range of courses from November to provide additional support to non-native speakers.
These courses help the non-native speakers build communication skills, enabling them to connect with others and actively participate in the community. This reduces feelings of isolation and loneliness by fostering social interactions and a sense of belonging. |
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A huge thank you to Honesty Group for donating 200 delicious chocolate brownies so far this term! We’re excited to see more of their lovely cakes soon. And keep an eye out for goodies from The Mary Hare School—their talented students will be donating cakes, and we’ll be sharing photos of their creations on our socials soon!
Our café continues to serve as a vital space for regular visitors who rely on us for more than just a hot drink or slice of cake. It's a place to meet friends, share moments, and find comfort - something we all need, especially over the winter months.
Through conversations, we create a sense of belonging that directly combats the feelings of loneliness and isolation many face today. |
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We also want to extend our heartfelt thanks to the wonderful donors who bring tea, biscuits, and other treats, ensuring that our café remains free and welcoming for everyone. Your generosity helps create a warm, inclusive space that means so much to our community. |
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| | How funny that I was worried we wouldn’t see many visitors to the Chatty Corner coming in after the long summer break! How wrong can you be? We’ve welcomed about 40 chatters each week, not to mention at least 15 volunteers too.
It was lovely to hear one young mum (chatter) who found a job as an assistant at Victoria Park Nursery earlier this year… |
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| Carola and Jose's Journey |
| Carola and Jose arrived from Brazil to West Berkshire, facing the challenge of learning English and resettling. Discovering Educafe through a Facebook post, they found not only language support but also a welcoming community.
Today, they have a small business, “Zanardo’s”, and give back to the community by contributing to Educafe’s Bake A Difference programme, continuing the cycle of support that helped them thrive.
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| 2.15-2.45pm, in the Carnegie Room Suggested £3 donation
Educafe’s Seated Wellbeing sessions have seen a fantastic increase in numbers, and we couldn’t be more thrilled! A big shout-out goes to Ning, Fi from Fitter Mother, and Rachel from Yoga with Rachel; our wonderful experts who generously volunteer their time throughout the term. |
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Thanks to their dedication, we now have over 10 participants regularly joining this friendly and inclusive session.
All ages and abilities are welcome. Whether you’re looking to improve your wellbeing, learn new self-care tips or simply want to relax, drop in any Wednesday! |
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News from our Changemakers |
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Give back to those who donate to us—please #shoplocal with our supporters… |
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 | Struggling with pelvic pain, incontinence, or other concerns around pregnancy, postpartum, menopause, or women’s sport performance? Bodyset are here to help. |
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Looking for a fun interactive session with your little one? Boogie Mites is for children from 0-5 years old. They have different sessions catering to different age groups. |
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| Jennifer Cornish Design are a Newbury-based professional graphic design and web marketing service. Run by one of our local parents with twins, they are also the designer and developer behind Educafe's website! Quick, helpful and experienced, they provide customised and complete marketing solutions for all business sizes.
Contact Jennifer Cornish on 07884114422 ✉️ info@jennifercornish.co.uk |
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Want to spotlight your local business and support your community in this newsletter and across our social media? Want to engage with our audience at our weekly cafes? Get behind us and raise your profile. |
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| We’ve have made some exciting nominations recently! We have nominated one of our lovely Chatter’s for a Learner Achievement Award. Chatty Corner has also been nominated for the Terry Stares Award in recognition of the difference made to people’s lives through adult education. Our fantastic Chatty Corner Manager, Margaret Neville, is up for the Greenham Trust Volunteer Award for her incredible dedication to supporting our team of 35+ Chatty Corner Volunteers. Educafe has also been shortlisted for a Greenham Trust Charity Award.
We’ve got everything crossed for them and Educafe! These awards help to raise our profile and highlight the impact we make across the community. Please drop us a line if there’s an award you think we should be nominated for. |
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Funding Challenges for 2025 |
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As we approach the end of 2024, we are still facing funding difficulties and are currently waiting on long-term funding decisions to ensure we can maintain vital services (the Community Cafe, Chatty Corner, Seated Wellbeing, and Money Saving Service) from January 2025 onwards. These services are lifeline for many in our community and we’re working hard to secure the necessary support to continue offering them. We’ll keep you informed as we navigate these challenges. We’re hopeful for positive outcomes. Any donations or support from the community will help ensure these services can continue. |
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| A big thank you to Alison Braithwaite and volunteers helping to sign-up new Changemakers. This programme offers affordable advertising for local businesses and contributes to keeping Educafe open. We’re especially grateful to Saintt Construction for their generous donation of £300, which will go toward cafe supplies and printing. Your support makes a huge difference! |
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Diary Date: last Educafe of 2024 is on Wednesday 4th December. We will share 2025 term dates before Christmas. |
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Thank you all for your ongoing support during these challenging times. We remain hopeful for the future and will continue to work hard to keep Educafe thriving for everyone in our community. |
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