Warm Welcome Spaces Week (19 to 25 January), is a chance to shine a light on the network of places – including churches - offering comfort, companionship and practical support during the coldest and often hardest time of year.
What began a few years ago as a national, crisis response to keeping people warm over the winter, has developed into an ongoing movement to reconnect individuals and communities across the country all year round.
At St Mary’s, Hayes, the Warm Welcome Space has been running for nearly three years.
Stuart Spence, Warm Welcome Space volunteer who has been closely involved since the beginning, says the initiative at their church, started after several members of the church leadership team independently approached their vicar with the idea.
“We carried out some basic research, mapping what was already available nearby. We also visited an existing warm space at St Augustine’s, Bromley, to get an idea of how we could run something ourselves.”
Food, Stuart says, has always been central to the welcome: “We initially started offering soup and cake, and what began with just a handful of visitors has grown steadily. Today, around 30 people attend each week, with around 70 per cent coming from the wider community, not just the congregation.”
And the warmth hasn’t stopped at winter. St Mary’s Warm Welcome Space now opens every week of the year, switching to ploughman’s-style meals in the summer, and finding they are just as busy when the weather warms.
Special celebrations such as Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day and VE Day have helped build a strong sense of community, with a record 45 attendees at their Christmas 2025 party.
Photo: VE Day celebrations at St Mary, Hayes Warm Welcome Space
Reflecting on the journey, Stuart says: “We’ve found it to be a great outreach into the community, with our guests coming along for a whole host of different reasons, including simply fellowship.”
Magali Van de Merwe, Lead Community Engagement and Social Action Adviser for the Diocese of Rochester, says that Warm Welcome Spaces week is a chance to let people who may be struggling know, that there is somewhere local they can go with no judgement,
“With the cost of living continuing to rise, and ongoing pressures on households, Warm Welcome Spaces within churches offer a place people can go to find a warm welcome, companionship and a sense of belonging.
Indeed, being registered as a Warm Welcome Space means that some local authorities will provide funding that can help churches with the cost of hosting the space, including the cost of heating, food and resources.
All of which, Magali says, allows a church to continue to offer hospitality freely and generously:
“I would encourage any church who already offers a café or Places of Welcome, to consider adding a Warm Space to what they already provide to help strengthen the local support networks available to people.
“Whether through registering an existing café, starting something new, volunteering, or simply spreading the word, churches can use this week to ensure that people know there is somewhere warm, local and welcoming they can go. This could make all the difference to someone this winter.”
If you would like to know more about hosting a Warm Welcome Space in your church, please contact: magali.vandermerwe@rochester.anglican.org
Find a Warm Space Near you visit: www.warmwelcome.uk/find-a-space