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Warm and welcoming spaces open their doors with funding available to set up new spaces
The dark evenings and cold winter months can be challenging for everyone, especially those who feel lonely and isolated, and anyone who can’t afford to keep heat their homes or get enough to eat. By working together, we can ensure everyone has somewhere warm and friendly to go, so that no one is ever left to get through winter alone.
Promote your warm and welcoming space
If you have a warm, welcoming social space in your local community offering a range of free refreshments and activities, please promote what you're doing on one of the following websites. This will help anyone new to your community or not a regular beneficiary of your service to find and access local support.
Warm Welcome Spaces national website
The Warm Welcome Campaign has a national site for people to be able to find their nearest welcoming space in their community. More than 3,000 warm welcome spaces can be found on the online map, with many groups in our region already registered on the site.
Find out more and register your space HERE.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council Welcoming Spaces directory
Use this directory to find a welcoming place in the East Riding including the libraries that offer comfy seating, books, games and jigsaws. You can also get free wi-fi access, health and wellbeing support and help to get you online. Visitors to mobile libraries can also enjoy a welcoming place.
Find out more HERE.
Please contact the Local Growth team to add your space to this directory: email: localgrowth@eastriding.gov.uk
Cost of Living Grants
There are many websites groups can access to find local, regional and national grants, including the East Riding 4 Community site ( you can find more about these in the funding and income resource here) - however the following local grants have been set up specifically to support groups, people and communities with the spiralling cost of living.
Hull & East Yorkshire Cost of Living Grant Programme - Community Action Grants
A collaboration of local grant making trusts have brought together the resources and insight to create a responsive . HEY Smile Foundation will be facilitating this shared approach and currently welcoming applications in response to the following priorities:
Find out more about this grant programme HERE.
Do it for East Yorkshire (DIFEY)
East Riding of Yorkshire Council grants supporting activity that will provide community activities to improve health & well-being, improve access to local resources & services and reduce social isolation.
Any groups applying will need to have the money spent by 10th March 24 and monitoring in by the 13th March. Groups who are applying can access support from the Local Growth coordinator to help with the application.
Find out how to apply HERE.
Please read the latest guidance notes below.
Two Ridings Community Foundation - Cost of Living Crisis Fund
The Fund has been providing funding to support groups, people and communities with the spiralling cost of living since September 2022. The charity is currently in the process of assessing applications received since September 2023, and will be making a new round of grants across the region before the end of the year.
Find out more HERE.
