Sports centres offer a warm welcome
People who are struggling to afford to heat their homes in the cost of living crisis are guaranteed a warm welcome at three local sports centres.
West Lothian Leisure (WLL) is opening up warm hubs in seating areas and café spaces at its Xcite Bathgate, Linlithgow and Livingston facilities, with members of the public under no obligation to make a purchase or be a WLL member.
Guests are welcome to use the free wifi, settle down to read or just spend a bit of time chatting with staff.
Part of the offering also includes a new Winter Warmer lunchtime deal of soup and a roll at a discounted price of £1.50 from 1.30pm to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, as well as free cup of instant tea or coffee to help people warm up.
Locals keen to support the initiative can also choose to ‘pay it forward’ by buying a Winter Warmer deal for someone in need – which will then be passed on, free of charge, to the next guest who asks for the offer.
Ben Lamb, Chief Executive of West Lothian Leisure, said, “Opening some of our facilities as warm spaces for the community just made perfect sense.
“We too are experiencing increased energy bills to heat our centres so we want to make sure that we are supporting our communities during this bitterly cold weather.
“Staying warm is fundamental to good health and a positive mental wellbeing.
“So despite this being a slightly different approach than we might normally take to achieve those outcomes, it is still exactly the type of local action we are all about.
“Our warm spaces and Winter Warmer deal was launched yesterday (Wednesday), so I would highly recommend that anyone looking for a warm welcome or a chance to get out of the house as temperatures drop takes advantage by coming along for a visit.”
The local leisure provider took the decision to introduce warm spaces to the community following a widespread rise in energy bills.
Since October the rising cost of energy has seen average household bills rise to around £2,500, with another rise set to come in April 2023, meaning local warm spaces could make all the difference.
Full details of WLL facility opening times and Xcite Cafes can be found at bit.ly/XciteTimes