Warm spaces have been set up around Stockport to offer a lifeline to anyone who is struggling to keep themselves warm this winter.

Groups met at Stockport County's stadium on Wednesday, November 2, to share their experiences of creating warm spaces and the types of struggles people are going through in the borough.

It marks the second year the scheme has been in place after launching last winter in response to the rising cost of living, especially with energy bills.

Steve Hall is the founder of Banter and Brews, a group of blokes who meet up regularly and support each other through the troubles life throws at them, as well as offering a warm space to whoever needs it.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "We all come together to support each other because it's hard to find somewhere you can fit in. The warm space is only an extension of what we are doing.

"We have all kinds of people coming to us, we had one man who was homeless who just wanted to charge his phone. The beauty of the warm space is that it helps us offer even more."

Banter and Brews has since grown to four groups a week meeting in Reddish, Heaton Norris, and Brinnington.

Anthony Hill is the wellbeing officer at Banter and Brews and has personal experience of how helpful support groups can be. He was homeless between 2017 and 2019 after tragically losing a child at birth, but has since turned his life around and now devotes his time to helping others.

He said: "I lost one of my children and turned to drugs and ended up on the streets in Stockport. I was going to grieving fathers groups, and I went to one event with MPs and they helped to sort a flat for me. I've been there for four years."

He added that he got involved supporting others because "no one else should go through this on their own."

A survey by Which? in August revealed that an estimated 13 million households didn't switch on their heating last year during the cold as people cut back on their energy use.

Dave Chorlton is chair of the health champions at Alvanley Family Practice in Woodley, where he says a warm space was set up due to fears that people were going cold due to the cost of heating.

Mr Chorlton said: "There was concern that people might not be turning their heating on, older people and vulnerable people. We wanted to apply for funds of up to £1,000 to provide a space for people to get out of their house.

"It was started through the fear of people not being able to keep themselves warm, but it has now grown to help with lots of different issues."

One of the warm spaces takes place at the Stockport County ground at Edgeley Park. Activities are organised for those who attend, but the main focus is to offer a safe and comfortable place for vulnerable people to stay warm and meet others.

Libraries around Stockport are also being used, with warm spaces made with hot drinks and jigsaw puzzles available to anyone who wants.

The spaces are backed by funding from Stockport council. Groups can apply for grants up to £1,000 to help with the cost of setting up a warm space.

More than 50 groups have already been approved for this winter, and it's expected that the number could grow to around 100 by the end of the year when the deadline to apply closes.

Speaking at the event, councillor Frankie Singleton, cabinet member for communities, culture and sport, said: "We established the warm spaces programme in response to the rising cost of living, but it's become much more than that. This year's programme is going to be even bigger and better."

~

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Stockport Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

To get our top stories in your inbox each week, subscribe to our free weekly newsletter HERE.

Please consider following Stockport Nub News on Facebook or Twitter