Bridgnorth church groups keen to provide more warm hubs with winter set to bite

Warm Welcome locations have already been set up across the county and nationally but currently there is only one in Bridgnorth - at the library in Listley Street.

Councillors discussed setting up further venues across the town at a meeting on Tuesday night, with three identified - two having already expressed an interest. If finalised, the town council may provide some funding to help set them up, staff them and provide ongoing support.

Shropshire Council has on its website a list of approved venues where residents can go during each venue’s normal opening hours, enjoy the facilities and keep warm. Typically they can enjoy free wi-fi and refreshments and access other facilities.

The two organisations in Bridgnorth that have expressed an interest in running a Warm Welcome group are The Baptist Church in West Castle Street and St James Church Hall on The Grove.

Councillor David Cooper, who proposed the expansion of the groups, said: "The problem at the moment is space and location. Bridgnorth Library is a smallish building and obviously it is a library so the public are coming in and out and it might not be suitable for large numbers of people coming in.

"We could do with a few locations where people in other areas of the town don't have to go to far to access this service, which is expanding nationally, and providing much needed respite against the cost of utility bills, heating homes and generally the increase in the cost of living.

"As a town council we don't have the people to volunteer or staff venues but other organisations may have and we can possibly allocate funds to them to help. We already have had the two churches come forward as potential hosts and have identified one other organisation in the Bridgnorth Senior Citizens Club which meets at our own Castle Hall."

Meanwhile Bridgnorth Food Bank says the number of people they help is rising, with 65 adults and 31 children accessing it this week - they are particularly short on jam, coffee, tinned meat, biscuits, milk squash and shampoo and also need a steady supply of clean, undamaged bags for life.

*For more information on Warm Welcome locations visit shropshire.gov.uk/cost-of-living-help/a-warm-welcome-in-shropshire/warm-welcome-locations or for information Bridgnorth Food Bank call 07960 285520