Community Spaces made by and for everyone
The Warm Welcome Story
The Warm Welcome Campaign is beginning a new chapter. What started as a crisis response to keep people warm through the winter has blossomed into a movement to reconnect individuals and communities across the country all year round. The Warm Welcome Campaign and local spaces have created what former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown calls a ‘Chain of Hope.’ Warm Welcome Spaces are places full of human warmth, belonging, connection and hope. Thousands of lives are being touched by Warm Welcome Spaces - they are the heartbeat of local communities, buzzing with life and bringing people together.
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Last winter, Warm Welcome Spaces hosted two million visits across 4,000 spaces. On average, Warm Welcome Spaces hosted over 120,000 visitors every week.
The Warm Welcome Campaign is delivered in collaboration with the network of Warm Welcome Spaces and a coalition of local, regional, and national partners representing the worlds of charity, faith, business, government, and philanthropy.
“It is one thing for Warm Welcome to have supported a crisis response last winter. But to see the way that this movement has developed, speaks to something deeper and more significant - the potential that often lies latent in our communities. By harnessing this potential, Warm Welcome now has the opportunity to start to change the culture of this country, beginning to turn the tide on both poverty and isolation and connecting indivduals and communities."
Right Honourable Gordon Brown
Former Prime Minister
Over 14.4 million people live in poverty in the UK and 7% of people experience chronic loneliness
It is estimated that disconnected communities could cost the UK economy £32 billion every year
Our Purpose and Vision
Warm Welcome Spaces
Warm Welcome Spaces are places of belonging, where new friendships are forged, and where people feel valued. Most Warm Welcome Spaces are open all year round. We want to make sure that everyone can find a welcoming place of belonging and reconnection close to their home.
Warm Welcome Spaces come in all shapes and sizes, from libraries, community centres, faith-based spaces to cafes, sports centres, businesses, museums, and so many more. But what they all have in common is that they are all places of belonging, where new friendships are forged, and where people feel valued.
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Warm Welcome began as a seasonal campaign supporting communities through the coldest time of the year. It's now an all year round campaign, bringing connection, friendship, and human warmth to communities every day, helping people feel less isolated and lonely and boosting wellbeing.
How we work
The Warm Welcome Campaign has a bold ambition to enable a more deeply connected society where we all have free access to welcoming community spaces.
But right now, not everyone can find a Warm Welcome Space close to home. We want to change this so there are more Warm Welcome Spaces, and everyone can find a welcoming place of belonging and reconnection in their neighbourhood.
Supporting Spaces
We resource, connect and champion a growing network of over 5,000 Warm Welcome Spaces. Together, these spaces create a chain of hope right across the UK, bringing people together and helping them feel more connected with their community.
Access to all
We want everyone to find a welcoming and inclusive space close to where they live, in places where people of all cultures, backgrounds, faiths, and walks of life can come together in their communities.
Working in partnership
The Warm Welcome Campaign brings together the network of Warm Welcome Spaces and a growing coalition of local, regional, and national partners representing the worlds of charity, faith, business, government, and philanthropy. Warm Welcome was co-created and built on partnership. Collaboration is at the heart of all we do, and Partners play a vital role in delivering Warm Welcome’s Strategy. Alongside ongoing engagement, partners have an open invitation to join our Monthly Partners Meeting. By working together, we can pool our experience and knowledge and bring this into the design and strategy for our work.
If you would like to partner with Warm Welcome, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact David Barclay
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Our second year
Warm Welcome has had an even more significant impact on individuals, almost doubling the number of people who say they always or often feel positive about their future. This year, Warm Welcome Spaces hosted two million visits. And around 120,000 people found places of connection in their community every week.
50500
people used our Warm Welcome Space online map to find a space
2000000
visits to Warm Welcome Spaces over the Winter
120000
individual visits to Warm Welcome Spaces every week
Our Impact
In the first two years of operation, over 50% of respondents to Warm Welcome surveys told us that without the spaces, they would have been at home with the heating off. But it was not only the physical warmth that made a difference. Warm Welcome Spaces make such a difference to people’s lives, with 84% of guests saying that coming to the space has given them a stronger sense of belonging to their local community. And 87% say that being at the space has improved their mental health and wellbeing.
Most people visiting Warm Spaces say what they love about them is the opportunity to make new friends. This year, 84% of visitors said they came to the Warm Welcome Space to connect with others. Being at the space has a huge impact on people’s lives. 63% of visitors said they always or often felt happy about their lives, up from 32% who said the same thing before they visited a space. And 61% said they always or often have a positive outlook since coming to a space, up from 27% before visiting.
Spaces bring people together and make them feel less isolated and alone. 70% of guests say that since coming to a Warm Welcome Space they now never or rarely feel isolated. It all starts by sharing a cuppa.
Can you help run a Warm Welcome Space?
Contact us
Have a question? Get in touch with us!