New podcast and toolkit launched
Lighting the way... Resources for community builders
At a time when many people feel disconnected, unheard or unsure where they belong, community spaces matter more than ever.
Over the past six years, Educafe has been busy building something powerful: welcoming spaces where people meet across difference, practise kindness, share food and skills, learn together and feel less alone. It has been shaped by listening, trial and error, and by the people who show up week after week – residents, volunteers, partners and community leaders.
We’re proud to share two new resources born from this experience: Educafe’s first podcast series and a toolkit of practical guides for community builders.
Both are now live and both exist because of the generous support of The National Lottery.
You’ll find case studies, All About Volunteers and a reading & listening list. An new set of resources will be updated over time.
Drawing back the curtain
The podcast series looks behind the scenes at how Educafe’s community “magic” really happens. You’ll hear honest conversations with people directly involved: our staff, volunteers, partners and local voices. They share what it takes to build trust, hold inclusive spaces and respond to real community needs.
Alongside this, our new toolkit brings together guides that explain the core elements of the Educafe model – from informal English conversation and community cafés, to volunteer-led spaces and early years support. These resources are practical, adaptable and grounded in first-hand experience. They offer a set of shared reference points or ‘playbooks’ for anyone doing similar work.
Together, the podcasts and toolkit form something we believe is urgently needed: an inspiration and invitation for people working at grassroots level to connect and share other similar stories. There are many of us who are working hard to strengthen social connection and wellbeing. We’d like to build a closer network with you.
About the episodes
Across its episodes, host Jamie Adam speaks with Educafe founders, project managers, volunteers (such as Julie Seal, top), partner organisations, and community members to highlight both personal stories and broader themes of belonging, resilience, and collaboration.
The opening Origin Story episode features Clare Middleton (Co-Director of Educafe – bottom) and Mark Brown (West Berkshire Council), who discuss how Educafe evolved from a simple English conversation group into a weekly community hub supporting hundreds of people. We also hear from Sue Kavanagh, Library Manager from Newbury Library
Episode 2 – Chatty Corner, focuses on Educafe’s language and resettlement support for refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. Guests include Chatty Corner’s Manager, Margaret Neville and Samera Abdas-Majid, a Lead case Worker from Reading Refugees. A service user, Ning (middle), shares her journey from newcomer to volunteer, illustrating how informal conversation and welcoming spaces can combat isolation.
Episode 3 – Parent Village centres on support for new parents and carers, with insights from Parent Village Manager, Subia Azmat, Dr Wenjin Dai a Senior Lecturer in Organisational Leadership, and a service user, data expert and volunteer, Patricia, on how accessible community spaces reduce isolation and improve postpartum wellbeing.
In Episode 4 – Stepping Stones, volunteers Magdalene Wind-Mozley and Penny Locke, and Employment Coach & Community Support leader Isabel King reflect on how community activities boost wellbeing, confidence, and pathways back into work.
Episode 5 – The Educafe Recipe hears Director Janine Ford and Aster Foundation’s Social Impact and Analytics Lead, Christopher Bond discuss how the Educafe blueprint was revealed.
Why this matters now
Across the UK and far beyond we see growing fear, loneliness and separation shaping everyday life. Too often, difference is framed as a threat rather than a strength. Too many people feel pushed to the edges of community life.
We believe community building is not a “nice to have”. It is essential infrastructure for a healthy society.
That means naming what’s happening, rather than looking away. It means recognising fear when it appears and responding with care, courage and collective action. It means speaking up for connection, organising around shared values, and creating spaces where people can meet, talk, share, contribute and build stronger social bonds. These resources aim to bring to life exactly HOW this is done.
An invitation to work together
With these resources now live, Educafe is ready to take the next step…
We want to connect with organisations, practitioners and community builders who are doing similar work to activate public spaces, build trust, support belonging and influence systems from the ground up.
Through our Togetherness Project, we’re inviting others to collaborate, share learning and offer peer support. This is about strengthening what already exists, not duplicating it. It’s about building a more connected network of people who believe that local action, done well, can ripple outward.
If this sounds like you – if you are championing social change, working to overcome isolation and division, and helping people feel at home in their communities, we would love to hear from you.
Building hope, together
The challenges we face are real. But so is the possibility for something better.
By sharing knowledge, supporting one another, we can build better communities – not just for today, but for future generations.
Read more and drop us a line…
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