Shavington has opened a new “Warm PlacCEs” facility at the village hall after the parish council was awarded a grant.
It opened up with a Bingo afternoon and offers a place for families struggling to pay fuel or food bills during the cost of living crisis.
Cheshire East’s Warm PlaCEs scheme aims to provide free, public places where people can go to get warm, save money on their heating costs, avoid social isolation and receive vital support and advice.
Voluntary, community and social enterprise groups were invited to join the “Warm PlaCEs” programme by applying for a grant of £250 or £1,000 to help set up or improve an existing warm space.
Shavington cum Gresty Parish Council was successful and are using the village hall on a Sunday afternoon in January as a opportunity to meet up and stay warm.
Mayor of Cheshire East Cllr David Marren was invited by the Parish Council to see what they had organised.
Cllr Marren said: “I was told that the first warm Sunday would be dedicated to keeping visitors amused by playing games of bingo.
“As I happened to be looking after three of my grandchildren that day, I decided to take them with me.
“As a family we had a great afternoon and I’d say that experience was shared by everybody there; it was pretty full.
“Credit to the Parish Council for organising the event, which not only kept us warm but kept us amusingly occupied.
“I was pleased to see the community organisation Motherwell Cheshire there.
“Motherwell provides services for women by women, focused on health and well-being by offering a range of educational services, holistic therapies and mental health.
“They turned up with a big rack of new looking coats to give away as well!
“A big factor in the afternoon’s success was the support of volunteers from the WI who set up, tidied up, made the hot drinks and all sorts of other things.
“I have been impressed by the scale, volume, and quality of the volunteering that I have seen around Shavington.
“There is hardly any part of our society where volunteers don’t make a positive impact.
“They support youth groups such as the Guides and Scouts, they support sports clubs, churches, schools, theatre and music groups, the health and social care sectors and organisations protecting and improving our environment. Without volunteers and voluntary groups, our society would be a much poorer place.”
There are two more Warm Sunday PlaCEs for this Sunday January 15, 2on – 5pm which will be an afternoon of tabletop games and crafts and the following Sunday January 22, an afternoon of Beetle Drive.
To find out more about the support and advice that Cheshire East Council has put in place for residents and to see locations of and services available at ‘Warm PlaCEs’, go to www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/costofliving
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