Cost of living crisis: Bedlington Community Centre launches warm space as winter begins to set in

The community cafe and other rooms at Bedlington Community Centre have been adapted to provide a safe, warm, space for residents to visit for free.

The space first opened on Tuesday, November 1, and will be open every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday between 1pm and 4pm.

Bedlington Community Centre trustee Lisa Saxton, 50, from Bedlington, thinks the service is much needed, and expects it to get much busier as the weather turns.

She said: “For a lot of people, especially older people and young families, they are already struggling without the actual rise in bills.

“So they are able to get out and not have to heat their own home, and hopefully meet other people in a similar situation so they are not isolated, or to just come and have a cup of tea, read a book, and know that they have somewhere to go.”

The community cafe at the centre has recently been renovated and is open to the public, but for the specified warm space hours it will be providing basic refreshments for free to users of the space.

Books, magazines, and games will also be free to use in the warm space.

This is the first year that the warm space has been run at the centre, and it comes amid soaring energy bills and a cost of living crisis.

The space is backed by Northumberland County Council, and you can find more information on their cost of living support by visiting their website.