Meet someone new!

To celebrate Friendship Day on Thursday 30th July 2026 and support community wellbeing, Melksham Town Council is partnering with warm, welcoming hospitality businesses to host a designated Friendship Table within their premises.  

Friendship Day started in 1958 by the World Friendship Crusade, offering a designated moment to cherish friendships and let your friends know how much you care. In 2011, the day was internationally recognised by the United Nations General Assembly, centred around the idea that friendship can build bridges and encourage peace.  

Businesses will be decorating a table within their premises to make it distinguishable and host a non-pressured, inclusive environment for meeting others. A friendship table will act as a safe, friendly space where anyone can take a seat with the intention of meeting someone new. It is a simple but powerful idea designed to bring people together, spark conversations, and help build new social connections within the community. 

Participating businesses include:

• The Hiding Place, 15 High Street, Melksham, SN12 6JY

Simply turn up to a participating business and sit down at their designated friendship table to signal that you are open to conversation.

Please refer to the individual businesses’ opening hours for participating times during the day.

If you are a business, and would like to host a Friendship Table, please contact partnership@melksham-tc.gov.uk to find out more.