St Martin’s Church, London Road, Worcester, has expanded its ‘Pop-ins’ coffee morning to provide a warm space for local people to come and meet together as well as a chance to share a soup lunch.
Each Thursday, ‘Pop-Ins’ opens for tea and coffee at 10am following the mid-week 9.30 eucharist service. It attracts those who struggle to come to church on a Sunday morning and others in the local area with around 15-20 people attending each week. They then remain open to offer a soup and roll lunch at midday.
Isobel Maher is the Community Care Lead for the church and helps organise the morning. She said: “Pop-ins has been increasingly popular post-Covid with people wanting to come out and socialise with their friends. During the pandemic we refurbished our lower room, which means we can just heat that space rather than the whole church. It therefore seemed like an ideal opportunity to stay open for longer and provide lunch for those who would like it.”
Barbara is one of the oldest people to attend at age 96. She lives on her own and relies on someone to pick her up to get to church. She said: “It’s a lifesaver being able to come out and have a coffee with others. You get to meet people with different viewpoints.”
Phyllis has been coming to the church for over 50 years and enjoys the social elements of ‘Pop-ins’. She said: “Most of us live by ourselves, so it is a good chance to get to know each other and make friends.”
Jill said: “This is one of the best things about the church. It is a good place to chat to people, especially when we might not see anyone else. People make an effort to keep this time of week free to come – it’s a chance to meet friends or talk to someone different each week if you want to!”
Val makes cakes once a month to bring to the group. She said: “We only move to Worcester just before lockdown and I was invited to come along to ‘Pop-ins’ by a neighbour. Everyone has been so welcoming and helpful and I’ve made friends and feel more involved in the community.”
Alongside ‘Pop-ins’ and the warm space, the Community care team at St Martin’s Church are also planning a lunch event to reach out to the local community and they will hold an afternoon tea in the summer. They also offer support through helping with shopping and taking people to hospital appointments if needed. At Christmas they take a poinsettia plant to all those who have been bereaved during the year.
