Could Saltash get its own Quiet Connections Meet Up?

Two creative get-togethers in August gave people in Saltash a taste of something that already happens every week in ten other Cornish towns. Now the question is whether the town wants one of its own.

Quiet Connections, a Cornwall-based community for people who consider themselves introverted, sensitive or shy, including those who experience social anxiety, is asking people in and around Saltash whether they would like a regular Meet Up closer to home.

The organisation held two free Creative Get-Togethers at Saltash Studios in August, one for adults and one for young people aged 13 to 17. Both were built around creative activities, with conversation welcome but never expected. They were one-off events, supported by Saltash Town Council’s Community Chest, and were not the launch of a regular group.

Why Saltash

Quiet Connections currently runs regular Meet Ups for adults in Wadebridge, Liskeard, Truro, Falmouth, Penzance, Helston, Hayle, Redruth, Camborne, and Cubert near Newquay, plus a Meet Up for young people in Liskeard.

For people living in Saltash and nearby communities, travelling to one of those may not be practical. The organisation says a Meet Up nearer to home could make it easier to get to know people gradually and become part of a local community where it’s okay to talk and it’s okay to be quiet too.

At a Meet Up, people might chat over a cuppa, spend time together through an optional creative activity, or quietly enjoy the company while they work on a project of their own. How you join in is up to you on the day.

Hayley Stanton, founder of Quiet Connections CIC, said: “We’ve had enquiries about a Meet Up in Saltash before, and we’d love to make one possible with a local team. We want to hear from people who would like to come along, as well as those who might enjoy helping to host it.

“You don’t need to be outgoing or have experience of running a group. We’ll provide training and ongoing support, and the practical tasks will be shared between the team.”

📷Reframe Quiet, Embrace Who You Are

Local volunteers wanted

Helping to co-host might mean welcoming someone who’s new, putting the kettle on, helping with local promotion or setting up an activity on a table. There are different ways to be involved, and nobody needs to take responsibility for everything.

Volunteers are part of the community too. Quiet Connections says helping to set up a Meet Up can be a way for them to find local connection themselves while creating opportunities for others.

And it can lead to more than a weekly or fortnightly gathering. Across Cornwall, “quieteers” organise things to do together outside their local Meet Ups, including pub quizzes, visits to gardens, live music and escape rooms. Those activities grow from the interests and ideas of the people who take part.

📷Quieteers in Torpoint

How it has worked in Hayle and Cubert

Other local teams have already done this. In Hayle, local people came together to help establish a Meet Up, sharing the organising and promotion between them with support from Quiet Connections.

More recently, a local team formed in Cubert, near Newquay, following conversations that developed through HushFest, described as Cornwall’s first Festival of Quiet. Their new fortnightly Meet Up began last Thursday (1 October).

Quiet Connections’ work developing and supporting regular Meet Ups is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund. The four-year funding began in October 2024.

How to register interest in a Saltash Meet Up

Anyone who would like to hear more about a potential Saltash Meet Up, or who is interested in volunteering to help establish one, can complete the Saltash Meet Up interest form. You can select one or both options.

Completing the form doesn’t commit you to volunteering, and it doesn’t mean a Meet Up will definitely go ahead. It helps Quiet Connections understand local interest and begin conversations with people who might like to be involved.

If you’d like a chat about volunteering first, you can email Jo Buckingham, Community Engagement and Volunteer Lead, at [email protected].

Live somewhere else in Cornwall?

Quiet Connections is beginning to consider where further Meet Ups might develop during 2027. If you live elsewhere in Cornwall and would welcome something closer to home, you can email Jo at the same address, mentioning your town and whether you’re interested in helping to bring a Meet Up to your area.

📷Meet Up group