CHURCHES are providing nearly one fifth of the venues participating within the national Warm Welcome Spaces campaign, which is described by the previous Prime Minister Gordon Brown as “a series of hope . . . the heartbeat of local communities”.
What began as provision through the crisis when gas bills escalated has now expanded. Food, activities, and other services at the moment are a part of the offering in lots of places; and 485 Church of England buildings are among the many 5000 venues which have signed as much as the campaign. Four hundred of them are also a part of the Church Urban Fund’s Places of Welcome scheme.
The warm-space provision in three Manchester churches attracts 100 people, and has prolonged to incorporate advice sessions, a foodbank, a hot meal, and humanities and crafts activities. St Nicholas’s, Strood, puts on a weekly session from December to March, with WiFi, hot drinks, and free food. It provided a warm space through the pandemic, delivered greater than 100 food hampers to local families in need before Christmas, and is considering of constant beyond March.
St Thomas’s, Bournemouth, joined the campaign in 2022, and provides meals and activities for about 60 people per week in two sessions. Breakfast and a “clothes swap” are a part of one other monthly session. “We were exploring how we could reach out into the community, and we saw this need. It really is a way of expressing what our Christian faith is: the love and the care of Jesus,” the Vicar, Canon Simon Evans, said.
“The cold is less of a problem for most of the individuals who attend: they’re more concerned about isolation and the necessity for company and conversation. We even have some limited emergency funding to purchase food parcels for people who find themselves in need.”
Eight C of E churches in Wigan offering warm space, alongside the prospect to buy at food clubs or low-cost food shops, are supported by Wigan Council. Wells Cathedral has reopened its “warm rail” for the third 12 months running, providing free donated winter coats and warm clothing to all who need them.
The Bishop of Winchester, the Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, who chairs the ChurchWorks Commission, said: “The warm welcome isn’t nearly energy bills. Every one in every of us has our God-given value and dignity. These spaces provide friendship, kindness, and a way of community, so crucial to well-being.”
