Why we still need to meet in person and how can cafes bring communities together.

Third spaces are where communities form. In the first episode of Where We Meet, we ask why people are choosing to meet in person again, and what a physical space does for the connections they make. Occasia founder Priyanka Roychoudhury is joined by Ruth Rogers, founder of The Canvas Cafe Collective, and Rachana Ramchand of Hello Nancy and Rumali Roti Entertainment. Ruth turned a Shoreditch café into a space that hosted around 60 community events a month. Rachana started hosting events when she moved to London and couldn't find the people she was looking for. They talk about loneliness, how trust forms between strangers, and what it takes to keep community spaces open. In this episode, you will get to hear, • Why Rachana kept her women founders' dinner to 15 guests • How Ruth's café hosted 60 events a month without programming any of them • Why vulnerability comes before trust • How independent cafés across the UK are becoming neighbourhood community spaces • What one free latte meant to a regular who was struggling with loneliness • Why community spaces are hard to make pay, and how sponsors can help • How to nominate your local café for the Canvas Cafe Collective Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:22 Rachana's women founders' dinner 04:16 Ruth on opening a space 09:56 What community means 14:23 The Canvas Cafe Collective 20:20 How Rumali Roti Entertainment began 23:07 Loneliness and third spaces 27:48 Building events that last 30:38 The reality of running a café 35:23 Sponsors and keeping community accessible 42:03 What's next and how to nominate a café Our guests: Ruth Rogers ran The Canvas Cafe in Shoreditch from 2014 to 2022 and now leads The Canvas Cafe Collective, a growing UK network of community cafés. Nominate your local café at https://thecanvascafe.org Rachana Ramchand is co-founder of Hello Nancy and runs Rumali Roti Entertainment, which hosts themed pub quizzes, treasure hunts and other events. Check out her product at https://hellonancy.com/ and events at   / rumalirotientertainment   About Occasia: Occasia is a SaaS platform for SME hospitality businesses for managing venue hires with a marketplace that connects event organisers with independent venues. We make hosting events in real life easy while supporting local hospitality businesses. Find a space for your next gathering in London at www.occasia.io Produced by and recorded at Vertical Drop, London. Check out their services at https://vertical-drop.com