🐾 Pause, Paws, People & Connection: An Afternoon with Fur Friends

Hope for Animals, a social enterprise working on social cohesion and the human-animal bond, runs this experiential workshop with cats, dogs and rabbits as the co-facilitators. There's a clue deduction game to play with the animals, and plenty of time spent reading their body language so you learn how to approach and handle them safely — including seeking and respecting an animal's consent before you touch it. The session also asks you to hold up your own assumptions and challenge the surface-level stereotypes you carry about different species.

It runs Sat 14 Nov 2026, 2–3.30pm at 64 Club Street, and it's free. The afternoon turns reflective from there: how trust was built with the animals and how that carries over into relationships with people, and what it takes to create a safe space by understanding the needs, viewpoints and limits on both sides. You'll come away with notes on emotional awareness, patience and everyday ways to build stronger connections.