Empty Chairs: The Coat & Bear

A free Empty Chairs evening at a Newbury pub where a host keeps a table with empty chairs for anyone who wants company.

Empty Chairs is an initiative creating low-pressure spaces for human connection, aimed at tackling loneliness. On this evening a host, identifiable by wearing something orange, sits at a table in the pub for at least an hour from 7pm with spare chairs left empty for anyone who would like company. There is no agenda and no expectation to stay, and joining the conversation is free, with attendees only paying for any drinks they choose to buy.