Travelling high above the Thames on the IFS Cloud Cable Car this morning, the weather and a poor night’s sleep did little to fill me with confidence about the day ahead. I almost didn’t leave Beckton after my card bounced and reality just felt heavy. What good could small talk with strangers 90 metres above the river really do?

The answer, as it turned out, was quite a lot.

The Public Living Room, hosted by Camerados on Wednesday 17 June, formed part of Transport for London’s wider programme for Loneliness Awareness Week. Throughout the week, TfL partnered with Camerados, Marmalade Trust and Strangers In The City to deliver a series of events designed to encourage conversation and connection, including the return of its popular Chatty Cabins initiative.

After a warm welcome from the team at the London Cable Car Experience and a much-needed hot drink, visitors were guided in groups of five into specially designated Chatty Cabins for a round trip across the Thames.

There was the briefest of moments where phones emerged to capture the view. Then, just as quickly, they disappeared again.

Conversation took over.

We spoke about London, the Docklands, changing neighbourhoods and, inevitably, loneliness. For the duration of the journey, life’s problems seemed to fade into the background. Five strangers who could not have been more different found themselves sharing a moment that would feel almost impossible anywhere else in the capital.

Back on the ground at Greenwich Peninsula, a short walk led to the Public Living Room itself, where mismatched sofas, chairs and tables had been arranged into a welcoming communal space.

There were no awkward introductions, no ice breakers and no pressure to participate. People simply arrived, sat down, chatted for a while and moved on again. Throughout the day, conversation ebbed and flowed as naturally as if it happened every day.

Perhaps the most surprising thing was how unusual it felt.

In a city where many people spend their daily commute avoiding eye contact, a space dedicated solely to conversation can seem strangely radical.

Yet Camerados founder Maff Potts believes people often overthink the concept.

“People come up to me saying, ‘Yeah, but why? What’s the thing? What are you selling?’ I’m not selling anything. ‘What are you fixing?’ I’m not fixing anybody,” he said.

Instead, the aim is simply to create spaces where people can spend time in the company of others without obligation or expectation.

“I just want to create places where that never happens, where you can turn up, sit here, do nothing, go away,” he explained.

What struck me most throughout the day was how quickly differences stopped mattering. Age, background, occupation and social circles faded into irrelevance. People simply talked.

Potts recalled a conversation he overheard at an earlier Public Living Room event which helped define the philosophy behind Camerados.

One participant turned to another and said: “Listen pal, I’m not your friend, but I’m your Camerado. I’ve got your back. Give me a shout if you need anything.”

The distinction stayed with him.

“It’s that no obligation, no compulsion, no baggage. I’ve just got your back,” he said.

Research cited by TfL suggests around 700,000 Londoners experience loneliness always or most of the time. While the Public Living Room offers no grand promises or dramatic interventions, perhaps that is exactly the point.

As I floated back across the Thames towards Newham later that afternoon, nothing about my circumstances had changed. I wasn’t any richer, my problems hadn’t disappeared and nobody had offered me a magic solution.

Yet somehow, that brief connection had shifted my perspective.