Member Article

Warm space opens in Eston to help residents struggling with heating costs

Grangetown Generations has expanded into Birkdale Community Centre, delivering help and support to people in the wider community to tackle social isolation.

The centre has also launched a warm space offering free hot drinks, hot snacks and a range of social activities throughout the winter months, offering a lifeline to people struggling with high home heating costs.

The centre, located on Birkdale Drive, had previously been used as a warm space with the service delivered by Footprints in the Community, until it had to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Centre owners, Beyond Housing, carried out a consultation, with the results showing support for the centre reopening for community use - providing community-led events in a place where people could meet and socialise.

Beyond Housing offered the lease to various partners, inviting them to deliver a community-led offer on a full-time basis. Grangetown Generations, a local not-for-profit community organisation, came forward with an expression of interest.

An agreement was confirmed, and Grangetown Generations has now expanded its operations into the centre as a second building from which to provide community support and services. This was launched at a well-attended open day recently.

Rachael Crooks, Community Partnership and Engagement Manager at Beyond Housing, said: “We are delighted to be working with Grangetown Generations, helping them to expand their operation into a second building, at Birkdale Community Centre. The residents that live in this area told us that they wanted the centre to reopen for community use and we are very happy that this partnership has now made that possible.”

Adam Brook from Grangetown Generations, said: “We’re excited to have launched this fantastic facility, thanks to Beyond Housing. We will be delivering a range of community led activities and once we have built up our relationship and engagement with local people, we can really get down to exploring what else we can do for this community.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by News Gathering .