I'm up for a Chat on the Tube Day

Chat on the Tube Day - this Friday

If you find that people on the Tube seem to be a bit more talkative on Friday, it'll be because Hannah is organising the first "I'm up for a chat on the Tube" day. at the beginning of the year Hannah began a project where people could sign up for badges showing their willingness to talk on the Tube rather than stare into space/Metro/London Lite/book/sudoku etc etc. The idea was that you would then pass the badge onto the person who chatted back to you so that they could spread the "lurve". As far as Hannah knows badges have gone onto a 4th person.

Rolf Harris has a badge and so far 500 are out in the wilds of the Tube system. However on the 17th Hannah wants to go a bit further and get people to spend the whole day on the Tube chatting There'll be a break for a long lunch and inevitably the day will close in the pub. She says "For me the project is not simply about facilitating people chatting on the tube, but locating the purveyors of the (anti-) social construct that we shouldn't chat on the tube, but first and foremost, about simply getting people to ask questions about why things are how they are and where they fit in within this."

Here's a couple of reactions from badge wearers:

Jon said: "My mother was down to visit recently. She always likes to talk to people on the Tube, so I gave her my badge and she in turn gave it to a policeman called John from St Paul Park, Minnesota.

And I met another badge wearer. Last Monday, 'twas the Kingston Green Fair. I was there to run the Freecycle stall and I encountered a woman called Charlie who was wearing one of your badges. She's a slightly mad old stick, but very charitable."

Although some people may think that you're like one of those Japanese volunteers who help foreign tourists on the subway (Heartful Japan). G-Force said "I wore the badge on the Tube on Saturday, and just kept getting asked for directions. I might have well just put a tourist information sign on my head."

Whatever reaction, Hannah needs your help and ideally a small donation to get the project