Places to get warm and a bite to eat in Valleys
WITH people’s bank accounts being dented left, right and centre amid the cost-of-living crisis, many people in the Valleys are feeling unable to even switch their heating on, for fear of how they will be able to afford the bill.
As an alternative, some venues are inviting people along to share some communal warmth – so they don’t have to worry so much about heating their own homes.
The Warm Spaces initiative was created to signpost people in need of warmth to a warm space to share with others- and was started by a group of creatives and social action coordinators based in Norwich.
There are several places that have signed up to create a place where people can go and get warm in the valleys, and here are some of them:
■ The Ebbw Fach Community Group can be found in Pant ddu Road Abertillery, NP13 2BP.
The hall has signed up to open as a warm space on Mondays and Wednesdays.
At the location, there is free food and drink, free Wi-Fi, people to chat to, wheelchair access, and an accessible toilet, and it is also child friendly.
■ Aberbargoed Library is in Pant Street Bargoed, CF81 9BB, and is open on several days of the week to people wanting to visit it as a warm space.
The library is open on Tuesdays from 9.30am-1pm and 2pm-6pm, and on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9.30am-1pm and 2pm-5pm.
The location includes free Wi-Fi, device charging, people to chat to and space to work.
■ Cynon Valley Church can be found in the Community Link Building at Fernhill, Mountain Ash, CF45 3EW.
The Church is open as a warm space on Thursdays from 10.30am12pm.
Included is free food and drinks, free Wi-Fi, device charging points, people to chat to, wheelchair access, toilets, an accessible toilet, parking and it’s also child friendly.
■ Hope Church Rhondda is located at 2 Dunraven Street, Tonypandy, CF40 1QE.
The Church is currently open every Monday and Wednesday from 1pm-3.30pm on alternating weeks.
Included is free food and drinks, free Wi-Fi, device charging points, people to chat to, wheelchair access, toilets, an accessible toilet, parking and it’s also child friendly.
Discussing the number of warm spaces appearing in Wales, Dr Steffan Evans, head of policy (Poverty) at the Bevan Foundation, which aims to create ways to end hardship and inequality, noted that there were still many hurdles people faced in accessing such facilities.
The benefits could heavily depend on their location, and transport links.
He said: “You can definitely see how they can offer sanctuary to some people, as there’s also a social element as well as it can be extremely lonely for people who are on low incomes and are at home all day.
“What it might not be able to help with is if it’s a bitterly cold day – by the time you are home from there you might already be cold from walking from there and you’re coming home to a cold house, so it’s not a solution to the problem.
“The issue of damp and mould is also worsened by cold houses so if people are going to a warm space that’s great, but they might still be going back to a house that has a lot of issues because of the fact that they can’t turn the heating on. My advice would definitely be to get all the support you are entitled to.”
A £150 cost of living support payment is being provided to all households in properties in council tax bands A to D, and all households which receive support from the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, regardless of their council tax band.
Separately, the Welsh Government is also providing a £25m discretionary fund to local authorities.
For more information, you can visit: https://gov.wales/get-helpcost-living