Key Points
- A community‑led craft group linked to the Grangetown Salvation Army, running as the “Knit, Crochet and Natter Café”, is operating in Cardiff, South Wales.
- The café meets every Monday from 11am to 1pm in the community room at Asda in Cardiff Bay, drawing more than 20 regular attendees.
- A second, Thursday evening session has been launched at the Grangetown Salvation Army Hall, making the activities more accessible to people who cannot attend during the day.
- The initiative is explicitly open to anyone in the area looking to make friends, with organisers emphasising inclusivity across age, background and culture.
- The group supports the wider community by producing knitted hats for premature babies, poppies for the Royal British Legion, and blanket squares for retired seafarers and recovering veterans through partnership with The Royal Marines Charity.
- Anne Smith, who leads the sessions, has described the café as a space that helps people “who are perhaps isolated, anxious, suffering, lonely, or just wanting to feel part of a community”.
- Hilary Mitchell, a member of the group, has said Anne Smith has brought people in the community together and that participants have become good friends, with the group growing “from strength to strength” under her guidance.
Cardiff (Cardiff Daily) May 2, 2026 Cardiff, South Wales – The Knit, Crochet and Natter Café, run by the Grangetown Salvation Army inside Asda in Cardiff Bay, is weaving together friendships, skills and community support in one of the city’s more diverse neighbourhoods. Weekly Monday sessions from 11am to 1pm in the superstore’s community room have drawn more than 20 regular participants, with a growing number attending a newly‑launched Thursday evening group at the Grangetown Salvation Army Hall. Organisers say the craft‑based model is quietly helping to ease isolation and loneliness for people of different ages, cultures and life experiences.
What is the Knit, Crochet and Natter Café?
The Knit, Crochet and Natter Café operates as a free, weekly craft gathering hosted by the Grangetown Salvation Army. It takes place on Mondays from 11am to 1pm in the community room at Asda Cardiff Bay, located at the Ferry Road Retail Park.
As reported by Salvation Army communications staff in its national news channel, the group began as a small project but has quickly become a “warm, welcoming space” where more than 20 people now meet regularly.
The café is described as “open to all”, with organisers stressing that anyone in the area looking to make friends or simply spend time in a supportive environment is welcome. According to the Salvation Army’s own report, the group
“represents a wide mix of ages, backgrounds and cultures”,
reflecting the diverse population of Grangetown and neighbouring parts of Cardiff.
How did the group expand to two sessions?
As reported by the Salvation Army’s own coverage, interest in the Monday session grew quickly, with some women unable to attend during the day because of work or caring responsibilities. In response, the organisation launched a Thursday evening session at the Grangetown Salvation Army Hall, running from 6.30pm.
The Salvation Army said this “simple addition” has allowed more people to take part, including those who find daytime meetings less practical.
Information posted on local community and Facebook‑based groups notes that the Thursday evening Knit, Crochet and Natter Café is also free and open to learners, with organisers offering to teach beginners or help people refresh their knitting and crochet skills in small‑group or one‑to‑one settings.
Who runs the café and what do they say?
Anne Smith leads the Knit, Crochet and Natter Café sessions at both the Monday and Thursday venues. As reported by the Salvation Army’s own profile of the project, Anne Smith said: “Everyone is welcome, anyone looking to make friends in the area.
That’s what this is about.” She added that the group “has had a big impact on people”, with many beginning to attend the Salvation Army’s wider church‑based activities after finding a sense of belonging through the craft sessions.
In the same Salvation Army article, Anne is quoted as describing the café as a space for people “who are perhaps isolated, anxious, suffering, lonely, or just wanting to feel part of a community”, highlighting mental‑health and social‑wellbeing motivations behind the project.
Hilary Mitchell, a member of the group, is quoted in Salvation Army and local community posts as saying:
“Anne Smith has brought people in the community together. We have all become good friends and the group has gone from strength to strength under her guidance.”
These remarks point to both the social‑bonding and leadership‑development aspects of the initiative.
How does the group support the wider community?
Beyond its social role, the Knit, Crochet and Natter Café carries out practical projects for hospitals, charities and veterans’ organisations.
As reported by the Salvation Army, volunteers knit hats for premature babies, often in collaboration with local hospitals or neonatal units. The group also produces poppies for the Royal British Legion, aligning with national remembrance campaigns.
The Salvation Army further notes that the group works with The Royal Marines Charity, crafting blanket squares for retired seafarers or veterans recovering in hospital.
These projects are framed as opportunities for participants to “give back” while refining their craft skills, reinforcing the double‑purpose of social connection and community benefit.
Such charity‑linked knitting and crochet work echoes broader “knit and natter” models seen elsewhere in the UK, including similar craft‑based anti‑loneliness initiatives reported by outlets such as the BBC, where chatty cafés are described as “like an adopted family” for people who feel isolated.
Background of the development
The Knit, Crochet and Natter Café sits within a wider pattern of faith‑based and community‑led responses to loneliness and social fragmentation in urban areas. In Cardiff, the Salvation Army has long operated halls, food‑bank projects and befriending services, and the Grangetown branch has increasingly sought to use creative hobbies such as knitting and crochet as low‑pressure entry points into community life.
The use of a corporate‑owned community room inside Asda Cardiff Bay reflects a broader trend of supermarkets partnering with local charities to repurpose spare space for social‑value activities, from “community rooms” to “chatty cafés”. National and local reporting on similar projects elsewhere in Wales and England suggests that craft‑based groups are particularly attractive to older adults, stay‑at‑home carers and people with limited social networks, all of whom are disproportionately affected by loneliness.
In the context of Grangetown — a densely populated, ethnically diverse area facing typical urban‑area pressures such as housing demand and cost‑of‑living strain — the Salvation Army frames the knitting café as one way of “normalising” social interaction and reducing the stigma often attached to attending formal support services.
Prediction: How this development can affect the audience
For residents of Cardiff and wider South Wales, the growth of the Knit, Crochet and Natter Café could help broaden the range of accessible, low‑cost ways to connect with others, especially for people who may feel uncomfortable with more formal support settings. If the model proves sustainable, it may encourage similar partnerships between supermarkets, faith groups and charities in other parts of Wales, potentially expanding the geography of anti‑loneliness initiatives.
