8
Years
Running
Monthly
2017–2019 Frequency
Quarterly
2020
Present
FREE
Always Free to Attend
Before the Popupcafé, there was nowhere neutral for Canley residents to simply meet.
Canley's community organisations were working in silos. Residents had concerns but no platform to share them. Loneliness was high, particularly among older residents and recent migrants. The Canley Popupcafé was created to be the simplest possible intervention: a regular, free, welcoming space where anyone could walk in and be made to feel at home.
Through craft workshops, a History Corner, cooking demonstrations, and cultural sharing, the Popupcafé became a gentle but consistent act of community building — one cup of tea at a time. It seeded the relationships and trust that would later grow into the Big Lunch, the Parade, and the library garden.
Project Name
Canley Popupcafé
Dates
January 2017–present (monthly 2017–2019; quarterly 2020–present)
Location
January 2017–present (monthly 2017–2019; quarterly 2020–present)
Funder(s)
January 2017–present (monthly 2017–2019; quarterly 2020–present)
Lead Producer
Dr. Nor Aziz, Champion Inclusivity CIC
Project Type
Dr. Nor Aziz, Champion Inclusivity CIC
Audiences Reached
Canley Library, Canley Community Centre, local churches, Warwick University volunteers
The Popupcafé's impact is not measured in attendee numbers alone — it is measured in the relationships it made possible. The trust built in those informal sessions over eight years is the foundation on which every other Champion Inclusivity project rests.
One of its most consistent impacts has been on older residents, many of whom live alone. For some, the Popupcafé was the only regular social contact in their week. The feedback gathered at sessions — informally and through conversation — directly shaped what became the annual Big Lunch and community parade.
Measurable outcomes
• Created the first consistent neutral meeting space in Canley
• Connected isolated residents — particularly older people living alone — to their community
• Provided a platform for residents to raise concerns and share ideas
• Became the seed from which the Big Lunch, the Parade, and the Library Garden all grew
• Fostered relationships between Warwick University students and long-term Canley residents
• Promoted healthy living, civic engagement, and community pride through regular interaction
This is the one place in Canley where I feel like I can talk to anyone. Different backgrounds, different ages — but somehow everyone feels welcome here.
Regular Popupcafé attendee, Canley
The Canley Parade is proof that community arts, when rooted in genuine co-creation and sustained over years, builds the kind of social capital that no amount of one-off funding can buy.
The Canley Parade has become part of Canley's identity — a tradition being built in real time.
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• A dedicated Warwick Volunteers project leader role was created as a direct result of the parade — a lasting institutional commitment
• Participants develop transferable visual arts skills across woodwork, textile, and large-scale prop construction
• The parade route is evolving year on year, with residents advocating for specific streets to be included
• Safeguarding frameworks developed for the parade now inform Champion Inclusivity CIC's wider approach to youth participation
• The parade has become a visible expression of Canley's diversity and creativity — changing perceptions of the neighbourhood for residents and visitors alike
• It has created a blueprint for other Coventry communities seeking to develop their own celebration traditions
Dr. Nor Aziz is the founder and creative director of Champion Inclusivity CIC. A Malaysian-born community producer, researcher, and artist with a PhD from the University of Warwick, Nor has spent over two decades building bridges between cultures, generations, and faiths in Coventry and beyond.
Credentials
• PhD, University of Warwick
• Board Director, Coventry Culture Trust
• Regional Fellow, Warwick Institute of Engagement
• 20+ funded community projects delivered
