A Manchester community hero is helping to launch a new nationwide initiative this weekend in Bolton, aiming to tackle crime by bringing neighbourhoods together over free coffee to bridge community spirit with smart home security.
The ‘NeighbourGood Café Tour’, a collaboration between Ring and the independent charity Crimestoppers, will travel across the UK throughout 2026 to transform local cafés into hubs that encourage conversations about neighbourhood safety.
The Greater Manchester event will be hosted by Manchester’s Kemoy Carlton Walker, known as Keem. Keem has spent nearly 25 years working to make Moss Side and Greater Manchester safer for young people. Growing up surrounded by gang culture and violence, Keem made a deliberate choice to be part of the solution, founding KYSO (Keem Youth Shout Out), a youth organisation that provides pastoral support, mentorship and opportunities to over 100 young people across local communities.
His impact has been recognised at the highest level. In 2016 he received the Prime Minister’s Points of Light award, the UK’s highest individual recognition for outstanding volunteering. Keem was also a driving force behind the establishment of Manchester’s Youth Council and Youth Mayor, after campaigning publicly through the Manchester Evening News and BBC Radio Manchester following the 2011 riots.
Now a Moss Side Ambassador and a positive voice for the Caribbean community across Manchester, Keem will host the NeighbourGood Café Tour’s Greater Manchester stop in Bolton, bringing decades of grassroots community-building experience to the conversation.
The event takes place in Bolton as new Ring research of 2,000 people across the UK[1] reveals three quarter (76%) of people in the North West believe a street where neighbours know each other and communicate regularly feels safer compared to one where neighbours keep to themselves. A further 38% said they believe the combination of security cameras, video doorbells and knowing and trusting their neighbours was the most effective way to prevent crime in their community.
The café will open its doors on Sunday 29th March at 10am – 4pm in Chill at Cowshed on Winter Hey Lane in Horwich. Residents across Greater Manchester are invited to visit and enjoy complimentary drinks while meeting neighbours, representatives from Ring and Crimestoppers, and Keem Walker – Ring’s ‘Community Champion’ for the region. The event will offer Bolton residents advice on how they can protect their homes and communities together.
At each free event, neighbours can pick up their free hot drink before they have the opportunity to meet and nominate local Ring Community Champions, share their own experiences, discover how smart home technology complements traditional community safety and learn from Crimestoppers about the value of anonymously passing on what they know, have seen or have heard about crime.
Alongside this, Ring’s research shows that three quarters (73%) of people in the North West would be likely to share suspicious activity captured on a home security camera with their neighbours, while 69% said they’re confident their neighbours would tell them if something unusual happened at their property while they were away.
“Community safety works best when neighbours look out for each other,” added Gary Murray, North West Regional Manager at the charity Crimestoppers.
“The NeighbourGood Café Tour creates the perfect environment for those conversations to happen naturally. Our charity is proud to collaborate with Ring to help communities in Bolton and across the UK to connect, share knowledge, and take practical steps to keep their neighbourhoods safe.”
The tour recognises that while smart technology plays an important role, the most effective neighbourhood safety comes from combining technology with strong community relationships.
Dave Ward, Managing Director EU and International at Ring commented: “The best home security isn’t just about technology, it’s about neighbours who genuinely know each other. A cup of coffee and a conversation might sound simple, but that’s exactly how community groups like Keem’s started. We want our NeighbourGood Café to be the beginning of something lasting – like neighbours exchanging numbers, setting up group chats and keeping an eye out for each other, long after we’ve left town.”
The NeighbourGood Café Tour visits Bolton on Sunday 29th March, 10am-4pm, and will visit communities across the UK throughout 2026, including Newcastle, Glasgow and Cardiff. The NeighbourGood Café Tour will also support a community charity in each location by donating £1,000 of Ring devices to a local good cause.