Community Spirit is hard at work in the heart of Lanarkshire as a community group has joined forces with a local church to create a warm hub over the winter months as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite.
Bothwell Futures and Bothwell Parish Church saw a real need for a warm and welcoming space for the community to come together over the winter months and jumped in to action to create The Winter Warmer+ Project which opens four days a week.
With all households in the county facing the cost of living and climate crisis, not to mention the number of people facing wellbeing issues following the pandemic, The Winter Warmers+ project is about people coming together, sharing a meal, a hot drink, or a chat in a warm and safe place.
Manned by a surge of volunteers and supported by a number of local businesses serving lunch and dinner, donations have included sofas and a TV for the cosy corner. The hub also features two PlayStation 5s for young and old people alike to battle it out on Fifa23.
Kevin Moore, Chair Bothwell Futures said: “Winter Warmers+ is our community’s opportunity to come together and beat the challenges that we all have to face this winter. This isn’t for the few in our community it is for the many, and it is important to recognise how we can all support each other, which we did so well during the pandemic. Sharing space and heat is also a great way to save the environment so it is even a great opportunity for those looking to be more sustainability minded.”
Reverend Iain Majcher added: “It’s not just homeless people who need help. There are hard-working people who are not getting by at the end of the month or who are tackling loneliness or feel a real need to come together with others.
“Often there is the idea that church is only for church folk, but we want to show there are no labels here and we are all members of the community.”
There is also a “community larder” where people can help themselves to groceries and other essential products such as toiletries.
Find out more – https://bothwellfutures.org/
