CHURCHES are providing nearly one fifth of the venues participating in the national Warm Welcome Spaces campaign, which is described by the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown as “a chain of hope . . . the heartbeat of local communities”.
What began as provision during the crisis when gas bills escalated has now expanded. Food, activities, and other services are now part of the offering in many places; and 485 Church of England buildings are among the 5000 venues that have signed up to the campaign. Four hundred of them are also part of the Church Urban Fund’s Places of Welcome scheme.
The warm-space provision in three Manchester churches attracts a hundred people, and has extended to include advice sessions, a foodbank, a hot meal, and arts 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 during the pandemic, delivered more than 100 food hampers to local families in need before Christmas, and is thinking of continuing beyond March.
St Thomas’s, Bournemouth, joined the campaign in 2022, and provides meals and activities for about 60 people a week in two sessions. Breakfast and a “clothes swap” are part of another 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 an issue for many of the people who attend: they are more concerned about isolation and the need for company and conversation. We also have some limited emergency funding to buy food parcels for people who are in need.”
Eight C of E churches in Wigan offering warm space, alongside the chance to shop at food clubs or low-cost food shops, are supported by Wigan Council. Wells Cathedral has reopened its “warm rail” for the third year 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 just about energy bills. Every one of us has our God-given value and dignity. These spaces provide friendship, kindness, and a sense of community, so crucial to well-being.”