Local Community
Abingdon Compassionate Café
Next date
Saturday 6th September 2025, 2pm to 4pm
Then monthly on the 1st Saturday of the month
​
No agenda or advice
A supportive gathering to talk openly, or one-to-one, about grief, difficult diagnoses or caring for a loved one nearing end of life.
Just a safe space for you to chat with others in similar circumstances or to simply spend some time in a welcoming, inclusive and peaceful space.
Do you, or do you know someone who could do with some companionship, and lives in the Abingdon area? Join us, at the Abingdon Compassionate Café in the beautiful gardens of St Ethelwold’s House in Abingdon, OX14 5EB for Cake, Kindness and Compassion – a safe haven, to just be!
For a supportive gathering to talk about grief, difficult diagnoses, or caring for a loved one with a dementia diagnosis, or nearing the end of life. Providing a comforting space for conversation, along with cake, tea, coffee, or soft drinks in the beautiful gardens.​
​​​
Delighted to report that the first meeting of the Café on 20th Sept 2024 was a great success, we were blessed with a sunny day and the gardens looked wonderful, we welcomed members of the community with home made cake and friendly chat. Huge thank you to all the volunteers who made the day possible. We held our last Friday meeting on 20th June 2025, the Café will now be running monthly from Sat 6th September from 2pm to 4pm and then on every first Saturday in the month 2pm to 4pm.
Inspiration for the Café
After a recent book launch that Sarah Dennis from Mostly Books, Abingdon organised, I spent some time with the author Clare Mackintosh who was launching her book "I promise it won't always hurt like this" a lived experience book offering its reader 18 Assurances on Grief. It is a powerful read for anyone who has lost a loved one, at any age.
We chatted about how often there is no where to go, that feels safe, when you are grieving, or caring for someone who is dying, or have a difficult diagnosis yourself. So, a long story short, the seed for the Abingdon Compassionate Café was sown. Fast forward 6 months, and we have our first session in September 2024.
​
Link to Mostly Books to get a copy of Clare's amazing book:
Home - Mostly Books (mostly-books.co.uk)