A Douglas language group is looking for its next co-ordinating volunteer.

Cafe Lingo was established in 2016 and delivers free weekly lessons for those whose first language is not English.

Karen and husband Tim Norton, who have been in post since the charity’s foundation, are retiring from their positions at Easter and hope to ensure the future of the community group.

Cafe Lingo, which operates out of Promenade Methodist Church in Douglas, has helped roughly 500 people from more than 48 different countries over the course of seven years.

While its main aim is to provide language skills for beginners, it also offers friendship, information about island life, a community feel and acts as a signposting service.

Karen explained what the role of co-ordinating volunteer would entail.

She said: ‘They would deliver an English lesson once a week for a mixed ability group.

‘It’s people from any place in the world and any level of English.

‘They’d have to coordinate a team of volunteers to come and support students learning English.

‘Also, coordinate social events and meetings and put people in the right direction when they have needs, as some are looking for a bit of company and a bit of English, and some have more extensive needs so it’s getting the right people.’

Setting the charity up, Cafe Lingo has become a big part in Karen and Tim’s lives, and they expressed how vital it was for the community group to continue to push forward.

Karen said: ‘It’s really important because traditionally we have a very welcoming island and there are people from all sorts of cultures and nationalities here, so it’s really important that they feel welcomed and for our community that people have the opportunity to integrate and to learn about the Isle of Man.

‘It’s quite hard for people coming in from another culture, particularly to an island, because lots of things on our island are almost hidden, not deliberately, but it can be quite hard to find out what’s going on because everyone assumes that everybody knows.

‘We’ve discovered that it’s lovely to learn about people’s cultures and the way things are done slightly differently in places but also the similarities there are, because there’s very strong ones.’

l Anyone interested in the role should email: [email protected] by 5pm on Friday, January 26. Read more about Cafe Lingo and Karen and Tim’s experience in next week’s Examiner.