North Tyneside Council launches 'warm welcome' grant scheme

A £30,000 grant fund has been launched by North Tyneside Council this week to support community and voluntary organisations in the borough to establish ‘warm welcome’ sites.

Designed to support the creation of warm, comfortable places which residents can visit throughout Winter; the grant scheme means up to £1,000 of funding is available to organisations to cover the cost of running the scheme.

Organisations are encouraged to use the grant to launch a ‘warm welcome’ offer from 1st November that will offer a comfortable building with hot drinks for at least half a day each week until the end of February 2023.

It’s hoped that these organisations will offer additional support to those using the scheme which could include social activities or public health initiatives.

The announcement comes as part of North Tyneside Council’s ongoing commitment to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, including supporting the opening of affordable food hubs and supporting children on free-school meals over the summer holidays.

Cllr Karen Clark, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing at North Tyneside Council, said: “Times are extremely hard right now as the rising cost of living continues to impact residents and as we head into winter with energy costs due to rise again, we remain absolutely committed to doing everything we can to minimise the impact and support our residents through this time.

“By launching our warm welcome grant scheme, we’re looking to build on our plans as an authority to ensure everyone has access to a warm, comfortable place this Winter.

“Everyone has the right to access a warm and safe space this Winter and we’re supporting our brilliant community and voluntary sector to embed this support into our neighbourhoods and communities. I’d like to invite all organisations who believe they could support us with this ambition to submit their application and get involved.”

The authority will be providing its own warm welcome scheme with its libraries and customer first centres extending its support to residents by offering a comfortable space to relax. For those who wish to get involved, additional free activities and hot drinks will be also offered.

It’s expected that more information, including the times and dates of each hub in the borough, will be made available in the coming weeks.

Applications for the fund close on Sunday 2nd October and each scheme will be evaluated at the end of the 18 weeks to help the council assess the need for the hubs.

Those who are interested in applying, should contact vcs@northtyneside.gov.uk