NeighbourGood Caf茅聽is opening its doors on聽Thursday聽30th June聽until聽Saturday 2nd July,聽bringing neighbours (and dogs) together to reignite the community spirit that blossomed over lockdown. Brought to you by home security company, Ring, customers can 鈥榩ay鈥� for food and drink with a simple pledge of a good 鈥榥eighbourly鈥� deed. The caf茅, based in Hackney,聽will encourage people to connect within the local community, try locally-sourced goods and learn more about the amazing people living in the area.
1/5th of Brits Think Local Cafe is Hub of the Community
The limited-edition caf茅 arrives after research conducted by Ring of 2,000 adults revealed聽one fifth聽(20%) of Brits see their local caf茅 as one of the most important areas of their community. Of those,聽over half聽(52%) think caf茅s are important as these offer a friendly community vibe, while聽32%聽would like to meet new people and neighbours at local caf茅s.
From helping an elderly neighbour with their shopping to walking someone else鈥檚 dog, neighbours coming together were a big part of lockdown for many. In fact, Ring鈥檚 research revealed a聽quarter (25%)聽of people became friendlier to their neighbours during the pandemic, with over one third聽(36%)聽saying their neighbourly spirit improved since lockdown restrictions were lifted.
Committing to Good Deeds
The new NeighbourGood Caf茅 aims to keep these spirits high, with visitors encouraged to write down and pin their good deed to a dedicated 鈥榩ledge board鈥� across the following categories:
- Good SKILLS:聽e.g helping fix a fence or replant a community garden
- Good MINUTES:聽e.g offering to dog sit for a neighbour
- Good ENERGY:聽e.g.聽introducing yourself to a new neighbour
- Good BUSINESS:聽e.g.聽pledging to support a local business or charity
In addition to the pledges, the聽caf茅 will shine a spotlight on those who have contributed positively to the local community throughout the pandemic and last few years. Some聽local heroes**聽in the area include: Mark Maciver from聽SliderCuts Barbers, who runs a young people鈥檚 work scheme offering free guidance and mentorship for 13-16 year olds, and Michelle Dornelly, CEO of local charity聽Children with Voices, who distributed over 1,000 free meals throughout the pandemic to vulnerable residents.
NeighbourGood Caf茅 Brings Communities Together
Dave Ward, Managing Director for UK & Europe at Ring, said:聽鈥淣eighbourGood Caf茅 is about more than just grabbing a quick coffee – it鈥檚 about bringing communities together. We saw incredible community spirit during the challenges of lockdown, like neighbours helping each other with their shopping, sharing essentials or even baking cakes for one another. I鈥檝e personally experienced how empowering it can feel to build strong relationships with those living around you, and we hope NeighbourGood Caf茅 can go some way towards celebrating this community spirit.鈥�
Ring鈥檚 NeighbourGood Caf茅 can be found at 12 Sidworth Street, E8 3SD. Doors open from Thursday 30th June at 12.30pm, and will be open from 8:00am-4pm daily until Saturday 2nd July. No booking is required and dogs are of course welcome!
