Afternoon Tea @ the Lit
In 2019, the museum completed a community-based project titled Afternoon Tea @ the Lit (supported by Surrey County Council), intending to create community connections through social engagement and use the rich history of the Literary Institute and the Museum collection to bring the local community together. We strove to offer a relaxed and welcoming environment for vulnerable adults, particularly those at risk of isolation and loneliness to benefit their mental health and wellbeing.
We actively engaged with various groups in the local community in numerous ways to ensure the project’s success. Working with Manor Farm Day Centre and Merlewood, we established a programme of five afternoon teas and chose to, adapting to the needs of the group, hold two events on-site at Manor Farm, one at Merlewood and two at the Literary Institute. Meanwhile, building on existing relationships with Royal Holloway Community Action, we liaised with their Student Leader. They advertised the volunteer opportunity to the group, and we gained eight new volunteers from their existing cohort. We were also able to provide them with informal reminiscence training as part of the project; the students, many of whom were from overseas, enjoyed the opportunity to connect with the local area and learn more about British culture. The Grassroots Project, which supports adults with learning disabilities, also helped prepare food for the afternoon teas, helping them to engage with new people and develop their skills.
“I think we all had a great time and I hope you can resume them at some point in the future.”
Santiago, volunteer
The sessions at Manor Farm Day Centre were attended by the regular users of the Day Centre as well as residents of Grove Court. The attendees here enjoyed reminiscing with each other, prompted by items from the Museum collection, and sharing stories with the student volunteers who had prepared the afternoon tea. At Merlewood, the session was more informal and student volunteers spent time with smaller groups talking about more items from the collection. This was a great opportunity for the residents to interact with students at Royal Holloway and tell them stories of their childhood.