Here are some comments from those who have already joined their local Talkin' Table.

  THE TABLE WHERE HOPE SAT DOWN

by Siraz 

     from Talkin' Tables at The Living Room at 1Point Centre Bolton

I came in quiet, a shadow of myself----

lost in the noise of thoughts I couldn't shelve.

Emotional tides pulled me under each day,

grief and confusion in shades of muted grey.

Empty chairs mirrored the hollow in my chest,

where words once lived, but silence took the rest.

But then---

a voice, a nod, a shared cup of tea,

a slice of exceedingly delicious cake from Ash, 

a stranger's story that sounded like me,

a hug from Howard that felt like a lighthouse beam through me.

In Drissia, where the sun leans low,

and lanterns bloom with a gentle glow,

the gates swing wide with arms outstretched---

each stranger greeted, each worry fetched.

Joan with a heart so wide,

Tessa, Rona by our side,

Lucy, Ruby, Charlotte too---

kindness shines in all you do.

Elizabeth the CEO who leads the way--

you made this magic bloom each day.

With deepest thanks, we raise our voice:

you made our community rejoice.

Talkin' Tables---

where broken doesn't mean done

where healing begins with just one "someone"

Now hope sits beside me, not loud, but sincere---

in laughter, in listening, in simply being here.

I'm not fixed, not finished,

but I'm no longer alone. 

This table is sturdy

and it feels like home.

"This poem is called "The Table where Hope Sat Down." It's a reflection of what Talkin' Tables has meant to me and a thank-you to the people who have made it feel like home"

Siraz

Note Drissia and Joan are the table leaders and the other people mentioned are members of the Talkin' Table group at The Living Room, 1point Bolton who celebrated their 1st birthday as a Talkin' Table on Thursday 24th September 2025.

Elizabeth is PA to the founder of Talkin' Tables.