Warm Hubs News

Cadent Vulnerability Conference

Mary and Anne our Warm Hub Project Coordinators had a Warm Welcome at Cadent’s Vulnerability Conference on 14 October, which was held in the Law Society Building in London.
There were many guest speakers and networking opportunities, and the day was extremely informative and useful in helping us support those most vulnerable in our communities.
Thank you to Cadent “Keeping Communities Safe, Warm and Connected” for supporting us in carrying out vital services in the Community throughout Warwickshire and Solihull.

Defra Visit

On 17 September 2024 WRCC welcomed a contingent from Defra, who visited several WRCC venues to view the work our teams are doing around the County.

One was a visit to Meriden Warm Hub where Defra observed a Warm Hub in action, and pictured are Emma Turnbull from Cadent and Anne White, Project Coordinator from our Warm Hubs Team.

Another of their visits was to Wolvey Village Hall where an extensive refurbishment had recently been carried out and for which they received funding through Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund. Pictured are a representative from Defra presenting the Chairman of Wolvey Village Hall with a plaque to mark the occasion.

WRCC Warm Hubs Funding

Funded by Cadent Gas, WRCC is offering Warm Hub grants of up to £1,500 to WRCC permanent, accredited Warm Hubs in Warwickshire and Solihull to cover the period 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025. The purpose of this funding is to support our accredited Hubs in providing a warm, safe space where residents affected by social isolation can meet and receive information and signposting to other services in respect of cost of living, energy costs and other health and welfare matters. As one Hub commented:

  • “We are absolutely delighted to receive this support, which will make a significant difference in providing a welcoming and safe space for our community…  The free energy advice packs and resources will be incredibly valuable for our attendees.”

We are currently unable to offer funding to other groups at this time. To see the list of WRCC accredited Warm Hubs please visit our Warm Hubs Network page. For help sourcing funding from elsewhere please contact WCAVA or Halls Together for further information and support.

The Warm Hubs Project has been run by WRCC, funded by Cadent, since November 2020 and we are delighted to be able to continue with this support.

Warm Hubs Materials

This is a selection of information and resources available in the Warm Hubs folders available at WRCC Accredited Warm Hubs. For more details and links go to our Energy Advice and Additional Support Page.

Warm Hubs Newsletters

You can find all our newsletters here!

Here are the principles for setting up a Warm Hub (this checklist specifically refers to Winter 2023-24 but the general principles apply all year round).

Here’s a short report of our findings from Winter 2023-24.

Warm Hubs News Stories

  • 31st March 2024

At the end of March, WRCC said a final farewell to our  Mobile Warm Hub service. Back in May 2021, when people couldn’t meet indoors due to Covid restrictions, our converted Back&4th minibus offered a lifeline to many isolated residents. Here’s a reminder from those days, when our mobile cafe paved the way for the launch of the Bidford Warm Hub: Bringing people together in Bidford

Times have changed since then and we’ve accordingly adapted our offering to focus on supporting more permanent Warm Hubs. But we’ll always be very grateful for the wonderful community work undertaken by our MWH Project Co-ordinator Sue and her dedicated team of volunteer drivers!

“A big thank you to our expert trainers!” blog post – after over 240 people benefited from our Winter Warm Hubs online training sessions.

“Welcome to a Warm Hub near you this Winter” blog post – an update on WRCC’s Winter Warm Hubs initiative in Warwickshire and Solihull.

WRCC’s first Warm Hubs Workshop was a great success, with 120 people packing into the Conference Centre at Warwick University (Wellesbourne campus) to make connections, share experiences and learning, and celebrate the amazing work that’s taking place at community hubs throughout Warwickshire and Solihull!

Speakers included Warm Hub organisers and representatives from the British Motor Museum, Citizens Advice, National Energy Action, Warwickshire Healthwatch, Fire and Rescue Services, Warwickshire and Solihull CAVA, Think Active (who also led a seated exercise taster session) and Warwickshire County Council, plus WRCC and project sponsor Cadent. Panel sessions were moderated by Halls Together and WRCC representatives.

Warm Hubs Workshop press release 18.09.23