Grantham organisations supported by Asda to provide Warm Hubs
Two organizations in Grantham have received a total of £4,000 from the Asda Foundation to help them support the local community with Warm Hubs.
The money, awarded through Asda’s Cost of Living grant program, aims to help community groups who may need assistance with rising energy or other costs.
The Warm Hubs will give people access to a warm place with hot drinks and activities. In particular, they aim to help vulnerable people avoid social isolation and keep their home energy bills low by providing residents with access to the Warm Hub.
The Jubilee Church on the corner of St Catherine’s Road and London Road received a £2,000 living allowance from the Foundation to support its expanding services this winter.
Pat Whittaker, Funding Coordinator for Jubilee Church, said: “This money will really help us deal with the increased costs of heating the rooms at Jubilee Church and will allow us to accommodate even more visitors during these difficult days, especially those who are vulnerable People who have problems with their own heating and energy costs.
“We have been very busy this year welcoming people from the local community, including a number of refugees from the Ukraine conflict and from Afghanistan. We expect this winter to be one of our busiest yet.”
Ian Firth, Community Champion at Grantham Asda said: “I am delighted that the Jubilee Church has received support through this grant to help meet increased energy bills. The Jubilee Church is doing an important service to the local community and opening up more space for people to pop. Keeping warm while socializing is so important right now.”
The United Parish of The Trinity received a living allowance of £2,000 from the Asda Foundation to help them set up a ‘warm hub’ in the hall of St John’s Church within St John’s Church, Spitalgate .
Run by Father Clay Roundtree and his team of volunteers, the warm center will welcome people from the local community who may be struggling with heating bills or isolation. Anyone who goes to St. John’s can get hot drinks and engage in fun activities in a warm environment.
Father Clay said: “This money, granted by the Asda Foundation, will be used to pay for energy bills and hot drinks. We understand that many people may be feeling the need this winter and we would like to help them by providing a warm and welcoming place for them to access.”
Mr Firth added: “This winter the Asda Foundation has prioritized groups helping others who may be struggling with rising living costs, particularly energy bills. Warm hubs like St. John’s are a great asset to the city as residents can save on their own energy bills while visiting the hubs. Not only that, they offer a wonderful way to break social isolation.”
The warm hub at St John’s Hall will open on Tuesday 3rd January and will be open Tuesday to Saturday between 10am and 12pm. On Fridays they offer a soup and roll lunch at noon. They also plan to start a weekly toddler group in the near future. Anyone interested in volunteering at St. John’s should contact Father Clay at the church.
