WARM banks have been set up around Colchester to help those who cannot afford to heat their homes enjoy a few hours of warmth over the winter months.
The plans for warm banks were hatched by the Community 360 charity as far back as June, when skyrocketing petrol prices contributed to fears that many residents would be unable to pay for heating bills during the winter months.
Now, warm banks have been set up in a number of locations across Colchester, including the Mercury Theatre, Community 360, Signpost Colchester, Colchester Library, and Greenstead Library.
Churches have also opened their doors and turned on the radiators for those who can’t afford to pay for heating, with Divine Assembly Ministries and St Andrew’s Church offering hours of warmth throughout the month.
Across Britain, there are believed to be as many 2,700 warm banks, with 247 in the East of England.
Jess Leonard, the head of programmes at Community 360, said the warm banks, as well as offering people respite from the cold, are offering activities and advice for those who are struggling.
She said: “It’s so important for people to go to these warm, welcoming spaces, but it’s not like they are walking in just to keep warm – they can come in and join activities keep warm at the same time.
“People coming into the warm banks may have other additional needs – we have winter packs with headscarves, gloves, and blanket, and we have hygiene packs and period products.
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“It will encourage as many people to come in as possible and we can support them with anything additional as well.”
Ms Leonard added the first meetings to prepare the warm banks were held when temperatures were in the mid-30s, such was the concern about how expensive heating was going to be in the winter months.
She said: “We held winter resilience meetings in June whilst everyone was in their flip flops.
“We knew people were going to face difficulties during winter, so we had to develop an action plan.”
Anybody wishing to set up a warm bank can start the process here: bit.ly/3VJl7HB.
Locations and opening times for warm banks in Colchester are found via: bit.ly/3Pfgq63.
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