Another Sheffield location has joined a national initiative aiming to bring people together in locations across the UK.

Empty Chairs is a community-led campaign working to connect people with others who live and work in their area.

Data from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, found that 7% of people in England (nearly 4 million people) experienced chronic loneliness in 2023/4, meaning they felt lonely often or all the time.

This has risen from 6% in 2020, which indicates there has not yet been a return to pre-pandemic levels.

Hosts book a small table in a local pub and leave a few chairs empty, open for anyone who wants company to sit down and join them in a no-pressure environment.

Across the country, people are hosting their own events, which are catalogued on the Empty Chairs website.

Sheffield has hosted a number of these events, mainly in Woodseats, but the campaign stretches across the country, and even internationally, with past events in Canada and Belgium.

Joe Robbins, 29, pictured above (right), hosted his own event at the Old Grindstone pub in Crookes on Saturday evening.

He said: “Everyone is so separate after Covid and in the online age, that it’s really important to bring people together.”

Mr Robbins was inspired to run his own event after benefiting from visiting one elsewhere in the city.

He chose to settle in Sheffield after completing his Master’s degree in Biomedical Science at Sheffield Hallam University.

But, with his coursemates returning to their homes elsewhere in the country after graduation, Mr Robbins found himself wanting to build up more connections with people in the area.

He walked 50 minutes across the city to attend an Empty Chairs event from another local host, and enjoyed it so much that he decided to set up his own a bit closer to home.

He said: “I felt so accepted that I had to set one up myself.

“I thought, what have I got to lose.”

Mr Robbins advertised the event on Facebook, and successfully hosted a small group meet-up.

One of the attendees said: “I thought, I’m in town, I’ll pop over, say hello, have a chat with people, and make some friends.”

Events are open to anyone, and usually see a range of ages and genders in attendance, Mr Robbins explained.

He enjoys the fact that there’s no expectation to perform a certain way at these events, as the website reiterates, there’s no pressure, no agenda, and no expectation to stay longer than you want.

Find out more about the Empty Chairs initiative and how to get involved, here.

For support with loneliness, see NHS advice here.