Chance to talk and meet new people is offered
Henry Beercock, front, with Nathan who popped in for the first Empty Chairs Hull event at the White Hart(Image: Henry Beercock/Empty Chairs Hull)
People are being invited to pull up a chair and connect with others in a new initiative that has been launched in Hull. The Empty Chairs event is part of a nationwide movement focused on tackling loneliness and raising awareness of mental health.
The White Hart, in Alfred Gelder Street, is the location for Empty Chairs Hull. The next get-together is being held on Thursday, April 2, at 7pm.
Host for the evening is Henry Beercock, who will be “saving a seat” for anyone who wants to pop along, with “no pressure” to talk about anything in particular, he said. Henry recently held the first Empty Chairs event there and posted about it on his Instagram page.
He said at the time: “I won’t lie, I was nervous. I even sent a voice note to my wife saying ‘I don’t think anyone’s going to show’.
“Then ten minutes later, Nathan walked in. What followed was hours of conversation about music, AI, sport, life… and the stuff that really matters. Mental health.
“The kind of honest chat that reminds you how many of us have been affected in one way or another, and why spaces like this are needed more than ever. Nathan said it helped him; it definitely helped me too.
“The biggest lesson I learnt was, be patient. Stay. You never know who might walk through that door or who might need that conversation.
“Since then, we’ve stayed in touch, swapped music recommendations, and I’m hoping to see him again at the next one. Same place. Same open chair.”
Henry said: “I noticed Hull didn’t have a representative for Empty Chairs, so I thought, I will be. I already had a good relationship with the White Hart which is why it seemed a good idea to hold it there.”
Henry made the headlines last year with his @Alcohullfree initiative – organising social events without the pressure to drink as a route to better physical and mental health, following his own journey – but said he was not “banging the drum” about that. “This is coming from a different angle, this is just based on community and connection,” he said.
“If one person turns up, that’s enough. I just think this is a really nice thing to get behind.”
Henry said: “It would be nice to see it grow; hopefully it makes people feel good and it helps me as well.
“In Nathan’s case, he said a lot of his mates were away and he didn’t have much to do so he came down. We’d been talking about music and then suddenly we heard this stuff playing in the background.
“The guy behind the bar had heard us talking and put the music on. Between us we had a lovely moment, a really nice conversation.”
Matt Appleyard, general manager at the White Hart, said he was very pleased with the idea of creating spaces for people to connect. “We are partnered with Hull and East Yorkshire Mind and quite mindful of mental health.
“What I want to get across is there is absolutely no pressure for anyone to have a drink – and we do have quite an extensive range of alcohol-free products and also serve hot drinks if someone just wants a cuppa.” Matt said: “Community is central to what a pub is and in this community we have people from all walks of life.
“We have regulars from lasses in their 20s to your typical male pubgoers in their 70s; they’ll all stand at the bar and have a chat, it’s that kind of atmosphere.
“The idea here is that people will come in, take an empty chair and start up a conversation. There’s nothing quite like walking into somewhere you don’t know; it can be quite intimidating.
“It’s not like that in the White Hart where you can just walk in and have a chat with someone. You make conversation with people you’ve never spoken to before.”