Fund public living room boxes for 50 communities

Aim

Support neighbourhoods to create Public Living Rooms, a radically mutual community space that helps counter division and social isolation.

Life can be tough.

What would it be like if you had people who ‘had your back’ and a place to go when that happened to help you get through tough days? 

This is missing in most communities. There are so few places to come together, especially with people of different viewpoints. Without it we remain divided and also isolated when sometimes all we need is a bit of company.

The Camerados social movement believes that connection with other people is the answer to just about every social problem out there. And we'd love to help more communities create Public Living Rooms for folk to come together at a time when division and social isolation in our society is rising. 

25% of UK Public Living Rooms are in the top percentile of the most deprived neighbourhoods and 73% are in the top five.

A survey in 2024 found that those who attended Public Living Rooms:

• 90% felt more connected to others.
• 53% felt more able to cope with everyday life.
• 85% felt happier.
• 67% felt less anxious or stressed.
• 57% felt more confident.
• 97% would recommend a Public Living Room to others.
• 94% would recommend the movement to others.

We want to support 50 new communities this year, we’re Crowdfunding for them to receive; 

• Peer support calls from others already doing it in their community.
• A box of essential resources to get them started.

The Camerados Movement and Public Living Rooms

The Camerados movement was started in 2015, since then more than 460 Public Living Rooms have been created (with almost 300 of these being open regularly for people to get together), they are open to anyone who wishes to attend and you can find one near you on this map.

Public Living Rooms are unique places that are open to anyone, they're non-judgmental social spaces with no agenda, no plan to fix anyone and no one is in charge. They're just places to go for company, to chat, maybe play a game or do an activity, drink tea and dunk biscuits...... biscuits are very very important.

In Public Living Rooms, the folk who attend use our principles, we’re about radical mutuality and not charity, it’s about everyone being involved, valued and contributing to their community, not just being in receipt of help. You're in the company of people who listen, who treat everyone the same and maybe from a different background to you, leading to friendship and a sense of purpose. Most importantly the atmosphere is of 'we're all in this together' and fostering a sense of community across divides.

What people say about Public Living Rooms

People have told us that Public Living Rooms:

Provide a space for social connection

"I'm a carer and I find that I become quite socially isolated because of that so it's nice that for a couple of hours a week I can leave that all behind and I don't need to sit at home on my own and I just come along and have company and there's no pressure around it and it's just a relaxed atmosphere, it's nice to be able to connect with people."

Give those that come along a sense of purpose

"People with support lead and run the Public Living Rooms. The Camerados approach means they lead the way, not the organisation's way. They experience a sense of purpose and a feeling that this is their space."

Enable people from a diversity of backgrounds to mix in an inclusive space

"We're in a highly diverse area with 100 different languages spoken in 4 sq miles - we were finding it difficult to mix people up. A Public Living Room is how you mix people up."

Provide opportunity for peer to peer support in a non clinical way

"Camerados is such a brilliant movement because it's not the system. It's not something I've been stuck in all my life. It's not something I wanted to die in. It's not something I've felt helpless in and it's not something that I felt hopeless in. This is what I felt like in services."

Using the principles in and outside of the public living room gives additional meaning to the live of those who attend.

"The idea of asking others to help you rather than how you can help them transforms relationships. Made a real difference in the way we work and how people connect with each other" "We try to wear the principles like shows, to ensure we are applying them in our daily lives."

As well as donating, could you create one too?

If you'd like to set one up in your community then get in touch at [email protected]

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 24th June 2026 at 4:35pm