Community venues join Cumbria County Council's warm spots scheme
More than 130 venues have signed up to join an initiative providing warm places for people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
Cumbria County Council is leading the project, which aims to support and encourage organisations to open their doors to people in need of warmth and help.
Among those to sign up are village halls, community centres, churches, libraries, pubs and sports centres.
Councillor Deborah Earl, Cumbria County Council cabinet member for Public Health and Communities, said: “It’s fantastic to see so many organisations stepping up to run a warm spot and I’m delighted we are able to lend a helping hand to make sure the public knows about the support on offer.
“We know winter is always a difficult period, but we have never been in a position where we thought something like warm spots was necessary before now.
"The stark reality is there are many people who might benefit from this. People might choose to go and work in one of our warm spot libraries if their house is cold, or visit a local warm spot with your toddler simply because you’d like some company and a chat.
“I’d encourage people to take a look at the website and drop by their nearest warm spot to see what’s on offer.”
The scheme is open to everyone with no explanation required for being in attendance and will offer people a warm place, someone to talk to and a hot drink.
Paul Mogford from Kings Church Hub in Cockermouth, which is running several warm spots, said: “We’ve been running informal cafes for several years, supporting various groups within our community.
"Warm Spots means that we can utilise things we already do to offer extended times to support many more people who are finding the cost of living beyond their income.
“We have groups for older people, one group for teenagers, and are opening a group for non-English speakers. We’re also offering Sunday lunches for those that need it too.
"People love being able to sit and chat for longer periods of time, and the sense of community is really vibrant and important
“Anyone is welcome from any group of our community – at no cost. Just pop along, bring your conversation, and enjoy some tea and cake.”