A club helping strangers make new friends is also helping them brush up on their language skills.

Pop along to any one of the The Medway Language Cafe sessions in Rochester and you could find anything up to 18 different nationalities chatting away from Poland, Ukraine, Columbia, Latvia, China, Hong Kong, Iran, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Bulgaria, Algeria, Portugal, Hungary, Indonesia and France.

Sam Davies talking about where the idea of the language cafe started from

It is the brainchild of Sam Davies, from Rainham, who came up with the idea when she wanted to improve her French.

The online English teacher set up the social club earlier this year to help those who have moved to the UK from other countries not only improve their English, but meet other people and help them feel they are becoming part of the community.

It's also a chance for native English speakers to practise other languages too.

The group meets at The Moat House Coffee Shop in Rochester every other Thursday.

Sam, 32, started the language club after studying abroad in France several years ago.

Recently, she wanted to improve her French further, and started looking for a language exchange partner. She met a girl who had moved to the UK for a few months as a language assistant.

Sam found out the girl was finding it hard to meet people, integrate in the community and was missing home.

As Sam had gone through the same thing when studying abroad, she thought it would be a great idea to create a cafe group.

She started a group chat on Facebook, called The Medway Language Cafe, which built momentum over time.

At its peak, the classes have more than 20 people per session, although during the holidays they have around 12 to 14 people.

The members come from all around the world and recently Sam has had some Ukranian refugees who have been making use of the meetings.

Sam said: "One of the biggest improvements that I'm seeing is particularly within the Ukraine refugee community, because many of them are really fresh to Medway.

"There's various levels of English and you can really see amazing progress because they are so motivated and committed."

This cafe is a safe and social space to have fun and relax while learning English, which in Sam's opinion, is just as important as having formal lessons.

She said: "Every time we have a meeting, I see new faces joining as well as returners which is lovely.

"I feel like word is really starting to spread now and things are starting to take off, which is really exciting."

The group uses different ways to learn languages, with activities such as board games, quizzes and conversation starter cards which Sam brings in.

It gives those who may be nervous or haven't had a chance to meet many people an easier way to socialise with others in a similar position.

Sam, who was born in All Saint's Hospital in Chatham and grew up in Gillingham, said: "With lockdown, it became much harder for people to do social things.

"If English isn't your first language, then it makes joining a club just that little bit more complicated."

One of the members is Natasha Reynolds, 28.

Natasha is originally from Ukraine and moved to the United Kingdom back in 2016, moving to Medway last year.

She said: "I didn't know anyone and suddenly I saw a post about a language cafe.

"I was one of the first members to join and it was so much fun. I even brought my little baby."

Having worked in the United States and UAE before, Natasha was used to meeting different people and learning about different cultures.

She said: "It is cool to have conversations with different people, play board games and listen to stories. I wish the cafe was every week."

Another person who attends the fortnightly sessions is Margaret Holdstock, 65, who joined the café to practise her Spanish and help others with their English.

Although she is not finding it easy to grasp the language, she is determined to keep on trying as she has an apartment in Spain.

She said: "It is a very friendly group and I have met lots of really nice people from different countries."

Sam added: "The atmosphere in the cafe is so vibrant and it is great to see everyone coming in with open minds and an eagerness to learn.”