The café has been busy over the summer.
We open on a Tuesday morning from 10.30 to 12.00 on Deck 1 of The Boathouse and seek to serve our local community through offering a free coffee and cake, a place to meet others, a listening ear, friendship, and support. CLEAR (City Life Education and Advice for Refugees) run one of their drop in support sessions during café.
We see locals, ex-debt centre clients and passers-by, as well as refugees and asylum seekers who are looking for advice and help from CLEAR. We aim to keep the café open every week of the year (except between Christmas and New Year). A lot of voluntary services provision closes in the school holidays so staying open is really important to the lonely and isolated. It is a very peaceful place with a strong sense of God’s presence.
Our mission is to show people God’s love and to serve the poor and needy in the city (Isaiah 61 v1-2 and Matthew 25:35-40). We aim to treat everyone who comes in with dignity and show them kindness. We have a wonderful team of volunteers who chat with those who come, play games with them (Jenga is very popular!) and share faith. 
We are also able to help people with various tasks such as renewing a bus pass, applying for HAF holiday club places, contacting Southampton City Council, Basics bank and Scratch referrals (where eligible and appropriate), applying for jobs and college places, sorting out bill payments and so on.
One week a regular visitor came in. We had helped them apply for a job previously which they had then got. Their literacy levels are low so we were then able to help them work out how to get to the job with public transport. Another time, we helped some families apply for HAF school holiday activities. This led to a longer conversation about the local school system and applying for secondary school places.
On another week someone turned up in desperate need of someone to talk to. One of our volunteers was able to spend the morning providing a listening ear to someone who was really struggling.
It is also lovely to see some of our regular café attenders supporting and encouraging one another!
We love our volunteer team but we need more help.
If you can serve tea and coffee or sit and chat with people we’d really value your help. If you able, either occasionally or regularly, to join us from about 9.15 until 12.15 on a Tuesday morning we would love to see you. If you’re not free for the whole morning, that’s not a problem, even if you can come along for just an hour, it really helps!
Please contact Charlotte with any questions or if you’d like to be involved:
What’s been happening at the Boathouse Cafe over Summer 2026?
We helped one person apply for a job, he is now working in Portsmouth.
We helped 2 people complete their college applications to study English.
We supported K to apply for a higher level of health-related benefit now that his mobility has
deteriorated.
We helped someone with English as a second language apply for school places for her
children.
We helped someone to register with a GP.
We supported someone in searching for a job.
We accessed emergency energy vouchers for a CAP client.
We helped someone to set up bill payments as she is not confident making phone calls
without support, we also helped her work out how to get to her new job on public transport.
We read post for one person who has low literacy skills.
We helped someone with his driving licence application.
We printed out job application forms and information for a training course.
We’ve given Aldi vouchers out to people who are destitute.
We signposted lots of people to further support through CLEAR ( Refugee Support), Society
of St James (homelessness prevention) and Gateway (city council access point for help).
We chatted, laughed, played games, ate cake, and generally enjoyed making new friends
with some of the more vulnerable members of our local community.
The Boathouse Café is free and open to all.
The café will be serving drinks, cake and biscuits. The entrance is on the lower ground floor, through the side doors from Onslow Road.
There will be café tables and chairs, sofas, some board games and also an area where small children can play.
During open hours charities such as CLEAR (Education & Action for Refugees) and CAP (debt help) will be available to have a friendly chat with, if any support of that kind is wanted.
All are welcome and we hope to see you there.