Gordon Brown calls for help extending 'chain of hope' Warm Welcome project

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has launched the annual Warm Welcome appeal, which has helped hundreds of thousands who are struggling to heat their homes over the winter

Gordon Brown says he hopes everyone in the UK will soon be in easy walking distance of a warm place they can go when temperatures plummet.

The former Prime Minister has launched the annual Warm Welcome appeal, which sees hundreds of buildings including places of worship, sports halls and libraries, throw their doors open. He said without the initiative, which was set up two years ago, thousands of people would have been stuck at home with the heating off.

It comes as energy bills are set to soar by 10% this winter, while millions are set to lose their Winter Fuel Payments when these become means-tested. Mr Brown said the project, supported by The Mirror, is a vital lifeline, giving people a chance to meet in warm places in their communities.

He wrote: "What started as an idea to get us through the energy crisis has now become a national institution for now and the years ahead. But as someone who was involved from the outset when Warm Welcome was first conceived, and now seeing the pain of heating bills rising yet again, with perhaps another rise on January 1, I know we now need to to do more this winter."

Scroll down to read Gordon Brown's column about the project

Last winter around 4,000 warm spaces hosted 120,000 visitors a week - and hosted 4.5million visits. Mr Brown said: "Today nearly two in every three citizens are within 30 minutes of a Warm Welcome Space in their community.

"But that's not good enough: so now we have set ourselves a new mission for 2024 and 2025 - to ensure that 100% of the population has access to a Warm Welcome Space within walking distance in their local community."

'We are creating a chain of hope to bring out the best in Britain

By Gordon Brown

If you're cold or lonely in the winter months ahead and are being hit hard by the 10 per cent rise in gas and electricity bills from October 1, an innovative new charity is stepping up to offer you both the warmth of heating - and the warmth of friendship.

From small beginnings two years ago, and with the early support of The Mirror, Warm Welcome has already become one of the most successful community initiatives. Last winter in places of worship, libraries, museums, sports halls, community centres, and local authorities, Warm Welcome Spaces supported 120,000 visitors a week, and in total 4000 warm welcome spaces across the country have hosted 4.5 million visits where people can come free of charge and enjoy the heat.

Over 50% of the guests said that without the spaces, they would have been at home with the heating off - and thus alone and in the cold. And they told us it wasn't just the heating that made a difference—these spaces had a profound impact on their daily lives, reducing their isolation and loneliness.

And that is why Warm Welcome Spaces have now become all-year-round meeting places for people to talk, entertain each other and be entertained, and to find friendships they never had before. What started as an idea to get us through the energy crisis has now become a national institution for now and the years ahead.

But as someone who was involved from the outset when Warm Welcome was first conceived, and now seeing the pain of heating bills rising yet again, with perhaps another rise on January 1, I know we now need to do more this winter.

Today nearly two in every three citizens are within 30 minutes of a Warm Welcome Space in their community. But that's not good enough: so now we have set ourselves a new mission for 2024 and 2025: to ensure that 100% of the population has access to a Warm Welcome Space within walking distance in their local community.

And to make our offer of welcome real, we will, this year, aim to ensure that instead of just 1 in 5 people knowing where to find their local space, everyone will have the chance to know what is on offer. Too often people living side by side in the same communities never meet, talk to each other or are even introduced to each other.

Now we have a way we can connect with each other and learn from and help each other. A few weeks ago, in July, during the height of summer, I spoke at a roundtable led by CEO David Barclay with representatives from electricity utilities and other companies, who pledged their resources to ensure that Warm Welcome Spaces can be properly heated and financially supported.

Now, a growing coalition of partners—representing the worlds of charity, faith, business, government, and philanthropy—are working together to make a reality of more warm welcome spaces. What we are creating is nothing less than what I call a chain of hope - Warm Welcome Spaces in every community and neighbourhood, linked to further spaces across the country, all bringing people together.

Everyone has a role to play, as supporters or partners - whether as the provider of spaces, the volunteer at the spaces or the funders of the spaces. And working together, we can drive out the worst of Britain by bringing out the best in Britain, unlocking the power of the community and creating a more deeply connected society.