Warm Spaces Grants Available

A warm spaces scheme that kept people cosy last year while helping them save on home heating costs will operate again this winter – and Banbury Town Council is offering grants to help fund the popular initiative.

Warm spaces are drop-in destinations for residents who struggle to pay gas and electricity bills and need somewhere to go to avoid being cold at home.

A number of warm spaces will open in town at various times of the week so there will be places most days that welcome residents and allow them to switch off their home heating while they are out.

The town council’s grants scheme offers up to £500 to enable charities and other groups maintain warm spots in areas where they are most needed.

The grants are aimed at organisations that already run daily or weekly meetings such as coffee mornings, activity sessions etc so that they can open more often or extend their current opening hours to provide warmth for longer.

Leader of the town council Kieron Mallon said: “We are inviting organisations to apply for grants so they can run warm spaces that can be publicly advertised regarding location, opening times and accessibility – particularly during extreme cold periods.”

He said: “Warm spaces will be used and very much appreciated by people who can’t afford to have their home heating on all day, every day. Our grants are easy to apply for – just log on to the town council website or call in at the town hall.”

A map produced in collaboration with Cherwell District Council that shows all of the town’s warm spaces can be seen at the town hall or online at www.banbury.gov.uk