Topic: Warm Welcome spaces were used over 2 million times last winter – Christian News 27 April 2023 – Faithwheel.com
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Topic: Warm Welcome spaces were used over 2 million times last winter – Christian News 27 April 2023 – Faithwheel.com
Staff writer 27 April 2023 | 6:45 AM
There were some 2.4 million visits to Warm Welcome spaces last winter, according to new figures from the campaign.
According to an independent audit of the initiative, carried out by Eido Research, this amounted to around 550,000 unique visitors coming through the doors of Warm Welcome spaces during the 2022-23 winter period.
Visitor surveys revealed a significant impact on feelings of loneliness, isolation and wellbeing.
Over half of those surveyed (54%) said that if they had not come to a Warm Welcome space, they would have been at home with the heating off.
Four in 10 respondents said they often or always felt lonely before coming to the Warm Welcome spaces, compared to just 6% after attending.
Over a third (37%) reported feeling isolated before their experience of a Warm Welcome space, falling to just 7% after after.
Most of the Warm Welcome spaces (72%) plan to stay in operation beyond the winter season and continue offering social support and comfort to the vulnerable in the coming months.
Over three quarters (78%) said they would like to take part in another Warm Welcome campaign next winter.
Paul Butler, the Bishop of Durham and Chair of ChurchWorks, which created the Warm Welcome network, welcomed the findings.
“What we have witnessed in the Warm Welcome campaign is a breathtaking show of bottom-up community resilience and creativity which, if harnessed and nurtured, might lead to some highly significant possibilities,” he said.
“The collective impact has been enormous. With spaces welcoming up to 100,000 people each week, Warm Welcome has been inundated with stories of people finding not just places of warmth but of connection and meaning.”
David Barclay, of partner organisation the Good Faith Partnership, said, “We cannot thank our volunteers and supporters enough. When faced with crisis and despair, the community response to the cost-of-living crisis has been nothing short of heroic.
“But with the cost-of-living crisis not showing any signs of abating, the willingness for many warm welcome spaces to stay functional beyond the winter is a welcome relief, while preparations are already underway for a Warm Welcome campaign that is bigger and better next winter.”
Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown praised the impact of the campaign, while calling on the government to provide more support so that people do not have to choose between heating and eating.
“Last winter, Warm Welcome spaces provided much more than a heated room – for many they gave hope, support and companionship in the toughest of times,” he said.
“Alongside food banks, warm spaces have taken their place as a critical part in the last line of defence against the brutal reality of destitution.
“From church halls and business to libraries and community centres, all across our country thousands of spaces opened up to give refuge to those in need.
“That communal spirit should be celebrated. But as a country we need to do more. Britain is one of the richest countries in the world – no one should choose between heating and eating, no one should live their lives worrying about how to keep their families warm.”
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