Sparking up connections in Portsmouth

Spark is a Warm Welcome Space that opens a pay-what-you-can cuppa and cake (with optional cheese toasties) from 11am to 2pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

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The space was started by the intrepid Becki after the pandemic when she realised local people didn’t have a community hub. It’s blossomed into the café, with a secondhand shop where you’ll find everything from games and puzzles, two books for a £1, a variety of clothes, bags and accessories and donated crockery and household items. There’s also a craft corner where people make decorative coasters.

Spark is a community space where friendships shine and every interaction adds a little sparkle to your day. That’s their strapline. A team of volunteers runs the busy café and shop.

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On the day we visited, energy company OVO were also visiting offering energy saving advice and goodies including electric heated blankets, smart sockets and energy efficient lightbulbs.

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Spark is a true community space – run by volunteers for people of lots of backgrounds. Some are elderly and come a couple of times a week for a cuppa and company. Others have learning disabilities and know that this is a space for them, too.

On the day we visited in November, we met a woman who moved to Havant 15 years ago with her now ex-husband. She had two boys but one sadly died and the other lives abroad with his wife. Susan hasn’t seen her surviving son for three years. She went to her local GP surgery saying she didn’t want to be alone for Christmas and a social prescriber suggested she visited Spark.

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We were able to signpost Susan to other Warm Welcome Spaces in Portsmouth, and to The Hive, a local charity that supports people to thrive. One of the café volunteers explained that The Hive has a directory of lots of local services and that Susan might be able to find a community Christmas meal.

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Susan – of Chinese heritage, who grew up in South Africa – says she doesn’t know how to play Scrabble and prefers mahjong. Another guest in the Space who was also visiting for the first time that day with her mother said she used to work in a casino and knows somewhere in Portsmouth where they play mahjong. She wrote down the details for Susan.

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It’s just one of the many stories of friendship and connection that abound in Warm Welcome Spaces up and down the country. 

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