How we’re going to manage to keep warm this winter is the topic of many a conversation at our Village Visits at the moment. More people than ever may find themselves having to make tough choices and face unexpected challenges throughout the colder months, in order to mitigate rising costs.
Though wider support is needed, our wonderful Suffolk communities are already working towards ensuring no-one in their neighbourhood is lacking a regular place to be warm and maybe grab a hot drink. Our county’s towns and villages have started to set up a variety of ‘warm banks’, ‘warm hubs’ and ‘warm refuges’ for the forthcoming winter, for their local residents, making good use of community buildings which will be open and heated anyway.
The Rural Coffee Caravan wants to identify and map out each one of these community ‘Warm Spaces’ across Suffolk, so that people can find and share their nearest. Spaces that are prepared to help by simply opening their doors and extending a warm welcome to nearby residents.
Offering a community Warm Space and mapping it with us will offer more than just somewhere for people to go to get warm if they find they need it. It can offer neighbours the opportunity to connect with, and support, each other; an opportunity to share resources; a chance to alleviate feelings of isolation; a place to share news and updates on winter warmth support available from local organisations, which we will forward on to you via our newsletters. We’re also on hand, as always, with any individual signposting queries we might be able to help with.
So, big space or small, library or community hall, church annexe or village pub, or indeed any similar building that is able to provide a warm and cosy space for people to visit and keep warm, without worrying about the bill, we’re asking for your help. Get in touch with us.
View the map here and select ‘Warm Spaces’ as your category filter.
