‘A space to help Brits in the energy crisis now offers year-round hope,’ Gordon Brown writes

Exclusive:

Gordon Brown says Warm Welcome Space ‘started up as places for those who couldn’t afford to heat their home but such is the warmth of companionship on offer that they now form a chain of hope’

This week is Warm Welcome Week.

And this morning, I will visit the Salvation Army Warm Welcome Space in my hometown of Kirkcaldy to join their Big Welcome Breakfast, which welcomes as guests all those who can’t afford to heat their own homes and want to enjoy the warmth of a well-heated, kindly, neighbourhood space.

Warm Welcome spaces, began opening three winters ago to help people combat the rising cost of home heating, and their warmth of welcome seen their numbers mushroom to 5,000 in, churches, libraries, sports halls, and community centres across Britain.

I have visited several now and seen for myself mothers and children enjoying the benefits of a Warm Space allied to a café and play space for their kids. I’ve seen how places of worship are now open on weekdays to invite people in and there are libraries, art galleries, and sports centres offering tea, biscuits, heat and friendship to all comers.

Impressively, 45 million of the country’s population now live within a 30-minute walk of a registered Warm Welcome Space and soon, whether under the name of Warm Hubs, Warm Welcome Centres, Warm Spaces, or just Cosy Corners, a Warm Welcome Space will soon be available not far from everyone’s doorstep.

They started up as places for those who couldn’t afford to heat their home but such is the warmth of companionship on offer that they now form a chain of hope linking one end of the country to the other and connecting young and old to each other in bonds of neighbourliness.

A survey from last winter revealed 50% of the guests said that without these spaces, they would have been at home with the heating off. They told us too that it wasn’t just the heating that made a difference but the reduction in their isolation and loneliness.

So this is an innovative and growing movement addressing the isolation that was first widely recognized during the pandemic and is now one of our biggest social challenges, causing depression, mental stress, self-harm, and even attempted suicide.

And as a result Warm Welcome Spaces are now all-year-round meeting places for people to talk, entertain each other and be entertained, and to find friendships they never had before.

What started as an idea to get us through the energy crisis is becoming a cherished national institution with 84% of guests reported that Warm Welcomes increased their sense of belonging to the community, and 87% reported that attending had improved their mental health.

Instead of the all-too-familiar stories we hear of diminishing citizen engagement in local organizations, Warm Welcome spaces are encouraging a rise in volunteering and participation. Working together, we can drive out the worst of Britain by bringing out the best in Britain, unlocking the power of the community, and creating a more deeply connected society.

“This place saved me,” one guest told us. “These people are like family to me – this place is my place.”

To find your nearest Warm Welcome Space, go to warmwelcome.uk, where you can also donate to the cause – just £30 can help us support someone all through this winter.