Good Morning Britain launch ‘Chatter Chairs’ across the UK

The GMB chairs will encouraging people to take a seat, have a chat…

Today on Good Morning Britain, hosts Kate Garraway and Adil Ray announced that this weekend, Good Morning Britain will have dedicated areas in shopping centres across the UK where they will be encouraging people to take a seat, have a chat and connect with others.

‘Chatter Chairs’ is part of the programme’s ‘1 Million Minutes’ campaign to help tackle loneliness and isolation in the UK by pledging time to support those that need it most. Good Morning Britain sent some familiar faces to Manchester’s Trafford Centre and London’s Southside Shopping Centre to see what a difference having a simple chat can make.

B*Witched’s Edele Lynch, who visited Manchester’s Trafford Centre alongside fellow bandmate Lindsay Armaou said: “It’s really important just giving time to people, and that’s such an easy thing to do… I’m a single mother. I feel lonely at times now and I definitely have periods of time where I feel more lonely than others. Even though I have friends and lots of other people surrounding me, it’s different.”

Actress and singer Michelle Gayle went to Southside Shopping Centre in Wandsworth, where she said: “I’ve had moments of loneliness in my life and what I have learned is to get up and do something… One conversation can really make someone’s day… I think it’s a really good way to encourage people to sit down and have a conversation.”

Joining Kate and Adil in the studio today was Linda Lusardi who discussed her experience at the ‘Chatter Chairs’ in Wandsworth this week.

“It was really uplifting for me as well… There was one lady that I started speaking to and she was really taken back that I had actually spoken to her because no-one talks to anyone [anymore]… I said to her, ‘How are you spending Christmas?’ and she said ‘Well I am on my own and I am going to the church for my dinner’ and another lady was telling me that every morning she likes to keep a routine – she gets up in the morning and comes down to the shopping centre so she can turn her heating off at home.

“You just don’t know people’s stories until you start to talk to them. All of them were really cheerful and quite happy by the time I left. They were really [touched] that they had an interaction with another person.” 

Opening up about her own experience with loneliness, Linda added: “The only time that I have felt really vulnerable and alone is when I was in hospital with Covid-19 and I couldn’t see my family and I couldn’t speak on the phone because I couldn’t breathe… I was practically having my dinner pushed into me in this isolation room… I felt really really alone, and it was horrible. We are pack animals, we need people. We need interactions with other people.” 

The designated areas can be found in Castlecourt in Belfast, Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow, The Metro Centre in Gateshead, Meadowhall in Sheffield, The Trafford Centre in Manchester as well as Southside Shopping Centre in Wandsworth, London and will be identifiable from today (13th December) until this Sunday (15th December).

GMB has teamed up with Alzheimer’s Research UK, Home-Start, Re-engage, Royal Voluntary Service, The Chatty Cafe Scheme and Winston’s Wish, all of which will be offering volunteering options for the public to pledge time for 1 Million Minutes.  To get involved with the campaign and start pledging, scan the QR code or visit the 1 Million Minutes website, itv.com/1MillionMinutes

Good Morning Britain weekdays from 6am on ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player