From Isolation to Connection: London’s first Yurt Café radiates hope
Three years on, the question of “how do we serve?” is still working wonders
As I sit, sipping what must be the most reasonably-priced oat milk flat white in London, I’m surprised to see strangers choosing to speak to one another. I’ve lived in London for six months now and, born and bred in the countryside, the culture of ignoring that anybody else exists as I’m walking down the street is a normality I’m still getting used to.
However, this café is far from your average Pret a Manger. One lady just approached a work colleague from the other side of The Yurt, never having met him before. She recognised his brand of company laptop. They spent the next hour chatting about the awkwardness of remote-working, and laughing about the fact they’ve never crossed paths. Enough said.
Dotted with wooden tables, abstract artwork and hanging plants, The Yurt Café — located in St Katharine’s Precinct, Limehouse facilitates everyone from freelancers to coffee catch-up mums to retired folks in need of a natter. It warrants that feeling of wanting to take your shoes off and sit by the fireplace. There’s a friendly, warm ambience in the air; a huggable-like energy. I don’t know about you, but that’s a rarity in London (unless you’re splashing out on over-priced puppy yoga classes).
The Yurt Café is a social, not-for-profit, enterprise set up as part of The Royal Foundation of St. Katherine’s (RFSK) broader charity work. In response to the pandemic in March 2020, the RFSK responded with the ethos “how do we serve?” Rev Roger Preece explains.
From 20st March 2020, restaurants and cafes, across the country, were forced to shut down due to the outbreak of COVID-19. However, following the social-distancing rules, The Yurt continued to provide a takeaway service and essential supplies to local people throughout the pandemic. Not only did this feed families, but it created a safe space for people to ‘socialise’ (2m apart) within the community. “The Yurt became a lifeline, a social connection, for people to feel like they had someone to talk to when they went out for their one hour walk”, Preece says.
Three years later, The Yurt Café continues to nourish a sense of connection and community. Initially structured as a temporary meeting point, the RFSK is putting together a cohesive planning application to build a permanent café; to which the council have received over 100 letters of approval. “ That doesn’t just happen,” Preece says. “It’s tangible evidence of the care and interest that the local community has in our charitable work”.
Ife Okonkwo, head of Marketing at RFSK, was a regular at the café before an opportunity came up to work with the charity. In response to the pandemic, he’s noticed an increasing number of people using the cafe as a hub to network, personally and professionally. “There’s been stories of people finding coworkers, partners and even players to join their football teams”, Okonkwo says.
The future’s looking bright for The Yurt Café. Last year they introduced the ‘Pay It Forward’ scheme — where customers can buy a coffee or meal for someone who can’t afford it. The overwhelming positive response has demonstrated the wider incentive in the community to help others, just because they can. Alongside this, the RFSK supports the food bank, set up by Limehouse Aid — supplying 30–40 meals a week to families in need.
A hub of meaningful connection, The Yurt Café radiates hope. It’s safe to say that, in a post-pandemic world, hope is certainly something we can’t get enough of. Plighted in a city that often fires up the treadmill of my anxious brain, The Yurt Café offers me a healing respite. There’s a lot to be said for a place that feels like a home outside of home. A place where we can serve.
