Building an inclusive movement of warm spaces across the UK
Warm Welcome started with a simple mission – to mobilise a network of warm and welcoming local spaces for people struggling to heat their homes.
Thousands of spaces signed up. Churches, libraries, gyms, mosques. Every space was different, but a common thread of warmth and a commitment to supporting their communities bound them together.
Since then, we’ve grown into a much broader movement, with a vision for a revival of grassroots community infrastructure – where people of all cultures, backgrounds, faiths, and from all walks of life can come together in their communities.
As we work towards this mission, we’ve challenged ourselves to think critically about what it really means to build an inclusive movement, and how we can better equip independent spaces in communities across the country to support the needs of diverse local populations.
We’re realistic about the scale of this challenge. Recent years have seen an unravelling of community cohesion across the country – with deep divides emerging across our society. This has led to a rise in people having to face adversity, including poverty, alone – without the support of a strong community.
But this trend is reversible. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw the emergence of mutual aid groups – communities mobilising to offer a helping hand to those in need.
There’s no single one size fits all solution to bridge divides and provide a lifeline to those experiencing poverty, but as we seek to strengthen an already powerful network of community spaces offering a warm welcome in communities across the UK, we know that bold steps to ensure this network is truly inclusive are vital.