Sweet dreams are made of this…
It was a cold winter’s evening when Chantelle Lan came up with the idea for Goodnight Sweet Dreams. “I have been single for quite a few years,” she explains. “I like living on my own but it’s the hour before you go to bed that you wish you had someone to say goodnight to.”
Lonely: 43 per cent of Islington households are people living alone
It turns out she’s right. After placing an advertisement in a local paper in January 2008, Chantelle’s phone club for people living alone has created love, friendship and, most of all, company for many lonely individuals.
With her bright blue eyes and striking blonde hair, Chantelle, 58, doesn’t come across as the kind of person who would struggle to make friends. Yet, she insists: “Although there’s a lot to do in the daytime, at night friends and relatives are busy. The idea was just for someone to say ‘How are you? Have you had a nice day?’ You don’t feel so lonely if you think someone else is also going to bed alone.”
Islington turned out to be the perfect place for the Goodnight Sweet Dreams Club to start. According to the latest census, 43 per cent of Islington’s households are inhabited by someone living alone, 20 per cent above the national average.
Chantelle’s idea attracted many local residents looking for someone who will listen but had a profound impact on two of its members. Chantelle’s voice swells with pride when she tells the story of how Ann and John found each other through the club. “John is 72 and a widower. He’s been on his own for two years and he was really lonely.
Ann is 58 and divorced but they found they had a lot in common. They like the same kind of music, walking, nature and have lots to talk about. John told me last Christmas that I had made a really big difference to his life.”
However, the advert Chantelle placed which offers ‘Maximum 5-minute phone calls for people with no one at home to say goodnight to,’ has lead to some misunderstandings. “Some people think it’s a dating agency,” said Chantelle, smiling. “There was one girl who obviously wanted to meet a man. I started to give her a list of people and she gave John a call! He was 72 and she was 36, but he is a bit of a charmer.”
The advertisement has also lead to a few prank calls. “A person rang up and said ‘I just wanted to say goodnight’ and there were peals of laughter in the background. I think they were quite young.”
The modest size of the club belies its popularity. Despite only having a dozen members, Chantelle has been approached by various social workers hoping to use her club as a means of counselling lonely Islington residents.
“The last one was a lady who was involved with homeless people and wanted to know if they could join. It doesn’t matter to me; if you can pick up a phone then you can be a member. I was surprised at all the interest that’s been shown, but everything starts with a little idea.”
If you want to contact Goodnight Sweet Dreams call 020 7226 5258 daily between 9 and 10pm.
