Original article from the Stray Ferret.
It’s been the coldest week of the winter, with temperatures plummeting to -9 degrees across the Harrogate district.
Many Harrogate residents have found themselves struggling to heat their homes due to soaring energy prices.
An army of community organisations is providing help by setting up warm spaces, where people can go for free. A list of locations is available here.
Among those offering the service is social care charity Harrogate Neighbours, which opened a community hub in Starbeck last year.
The Stray Ferret visited the hub on one of the coldest days this week to find out more about what the organisation does.
The two-storey facility on High Street offers everything from a cafe and working space to sociability and information.
Hub manager Victoria Smith-Dunn said it was a lifeline for many people who cannot afford to heat their homes:
A gentleman came in on Wednesday and told us that he doesn’t put the heating on at home, and that he spends his days out walking to stay warm.
He came into the hub for some hot soup, a coffee and to enjoy the warm space.
Having somewhere warm to stay in sub-zero temperatures can literally be the difference between life and death for older residents.
Yet many people still don’t utilise warm spaces due to the stigma associated with getting free help.
Ms Smith-Dunn said:
The stigma doesn’t exist here. There is no difference between the person living in social housing struggling to feed their family and the person living in an eight-bedroom detached house.
Harrogate Neighbours is here for the community, no matter who you are in that community. That is why our pay-as-you-feel model is so important – it breaks down financial barriers.
The hub, which is open from 10am to 4pm, provides hot lunches from noon to 2pm from Monday to Wednesday. It buys the food and drink and customers donate as much as they feel comfortable with.
For some service users, the lure of someone to talk to is just as strong as the opportunity for warmth and food.
Mental health and loneliness are significant issues during winter, and the hub combats this by encouraging sociability and signposting people to services.
Ms Smith-Dunn told us:
Everyone finds themselves at low points at certain points in their lives, it doesn’t matter what your background is or how wealthy you are. You may not know who to turn to when you are in that situation and that’s what we’re here for.
People find it hard to open up. You’ve got to give people time and space to feel ready to talk about what they find challenging. Having the warm space and doing the lunches gives people a reason to step in and to stay.
Sophia Clark, a volunteer and digital champion for the hub, said money and loneliness were among the many reasons people use the service.
Harrogate Neighbours organised a New Year’s Eve event in the daytime, which helped people socialise at what can be a particularly lonely time of year.
Ms Clark said:
Everybody loved the New Year’s do. It got so busy you could hardly move. Most people don’t know each other when they come, but many have become friends through the hub.
It’s amazing how it’s grown. The community hub is very new but has become very popular in such a short time. It gives me a purpose and I get to meet some amazing people.
What's on at the hub?
The hub opened on June 3 last year, and has attracted significant attention from the Starbeck community due to its planned activity sessions.
Activities take place throughout the week and are designed to connect people through shared interests and provide companionship.
The activities are as follows:
- Mondays – Digital learning, 10am to 12pm
- Tuesdays – Nurturing together parenting sessions, 10am to 12pm
- Wednesday mornings – Craft sessions, 10am to 12pm
- Wednesday afternoons – Perspective coaching to support people who are neurodivergent, 1pm to 3pm
The hub also plans to set up menopause and bereavement support groups.
The hub is also open on Thursdays and Fridays from 10am-4pm as usual, but can be vulnerable to closure due to being solely run by volunteers on these days.
Harrogate Neighbours, which has a multi-year lease on the building that hosts the hub, hopes the facility will become self-sustainable. It currently relies on lottery and community fundraising,
Organisations such as Supporting Older People and the Harrogate Housing Company are providing financial support.
When asked how people can help, Ms Smith-Dunn called for more volunteers, emphasising that illness and other factors can significantly affect operations while they have limited numbers.