The Yorkshire West Methodist District was delighted to be able to offer grants to churches in our District for the purposes of providing Warm Spaces to local communities in Winter 2024. Read on for good news stories, great feedback and photos from some of the participating churches…
Mosaic Community Café at West Ardsley Methodist Church, (North Kirklees and Morley circuit)
“My mum and dad had a great time – so did I! The raspberry and white chocolate cake was amazing. Thank you.”
“Thank you for all your hard work in preparing an amazing afternoon tea! We’ve still got some cakes left over to eat!”
“Love the scone of the month, hope to get there again next week.”
Krafty Ladies at Cawthorne Methodist Church (Denby Dale and Clayton West circuit)
“Krafty ladies have been [working] in the schoolroom for Armistice Day. The whole village will be decorated and the event will run for a week. Sausage sandwiches are being served in the schoolroom 11am-3pm, on Saturday 2nd and 9th of November, raising money for The Poppy Appeal.”
Oasis Cafe at Shepley Methodist Church (Huddersfield circuit)
“As you can see from the photos, we’re a very happy bunch!”
Long Preston Warm Space (Skipton & Grassington circuit)
“Long Preston is a village in the Yorkshire Dales National Park on the A65 between Skipton and Settle. The church provides a meal and an opportunity for people to meet. A retired nurse carries out basic health checks with the kit provided by a local charity.”
Kippax Methodist Church (Aire & Calder circuit)
“A lovely friendly atmosphere. Everyone helpful and welcoming. One of the best things in Kippax, if not the best.” Pauline
“I look forward to coffee morning because it’s warm and I meet lots of friends.”
“A lifesaver. Lovely people.”
“Lovely friendly group where I feel welcome. Look forward to it every week.”
“Good company. Know everyone. Nice and warm. Very welcome.” B. Firth
“An excellent facility. Very friendly and a welcome oasis for many people in the village. A fine community event.”
“I enjoy the company and look forward to making new friends.”
“I love the friendly atmosphere and welcome. There is always plenty of conversation around the table and it is a lovely place to meet up.”
“Warm, friendly morning with drinks and teacakes.” Steve
“Happy, friendly atmosphere. Very welcoming! Lovely cuppa.”
Batley Care & Drop-In at Batley Central Methodist Church (North Kirklees & Morley circuit)
“Batley Care & Drop-in operates each Monday morning at the Brimer Hall, underneath the Batley Central Methodist Church.
“An average of 45, often disadvantaged, clients come each week for toast/cereal, tea/coffee and a hot lunch in a safe, warm place. We cater mainly for those people who are on low income, socially isolated or homeless.
“We try to make the Drop-in a happy social environment, where clients can chat, play board games and generally feel comfortable mixing with others.
“In addition, donated clothing, suitable for the time of the year, is available. Also, during the morning everyone will have the opportunity to take away a food bag, often comprising fresh fruit and vegetables.
“We continue to be proactive in helping our clients to have a better lifestyle, where appropriate. This is done via our support partners who can offer advice and help on such issues as volunteering and job seeking, drugs and drink avoidance, responding to official mail, housing problems, homelessness etc..
“Healthwise, we receive periodic visits and testing facilities from Liver Buddies, The Brunswick Centre for HIV plus other medical agencies.
“All our services are free and run by an enthusiastic team of volunteers. We are blessed by receiving financial and other support from both local churches and individuals.”
Morley Central Methodist Church (North Kirklees & Morley circuit)
“We hold a Lunch Club every week (except the 1st Wednesday of each month). We have 5 volunteers and at present have 31 people on our list with approximately 28 attending each week. We provide a 2 course meal followed by coffee and tea. The menu is quite varied and people enjoy meeting up with each other for a chat and food!
“After the meal we have a games afternoon (board games) which no matter how old you are you can take part in. From 12 noon to approx 3 pm we provide a warm space where people can meet, eat, chat and have fun. Some are quite elderly and live on their own so it enables them to meet up with other people.”
Ackworth Methodist Church (Aire & Calder circuit)
“From 1st October 2024 until 31st March 2025 we have extended our regular Monday Coffee Mornings to provide a warm space in our Church.
“We offer a very warm welcome to everyone who comes through our doors, along with a time of fellowship, and we provide tea, coffee and home made cakes. The atmosphere is of love and friendship and we feel it is an important part of our outreach as a Church. The numbers attending each week vary, but we average 20.”
Oxenhope Methodist Church (Airedale circuit)
“We have a lovely mix of people who come to enjoy our warm space – with good company, tea and cake!!
“We are also very lucky to welcome some children from our local primary school. Every few weeks children who have been recognised as “rising stars” are rewarded with a visit to the cafe where they enjoy doing various crafts – along with juice and biscuits. Over the next few weeks we will be holding a bingo evening and our Xmas party.”
Tingley Methodist Church (North Kirklees & Morley circuit)
“The Friends Café is part of our commitment to being a Dementia Friendly Church. It provides an opportunity for anyone, including people with Dementia and their carers, to have lunch, to relax and meet and talk to others. We meet once a month, on the first Saturday. The café is run by volunteers from the Church who have all been trained as Dementia Friends. We want to make sure that when people come to the café they have a good time and look forward to the next one. We encourage guests to help us by providing feedback on what they would like to happen.
“The Soup Bowl is a joint venture between Tingley Methodist Church and members of the community. We provide companionship, food and good conversation. It is open to everyone and is held on the second Monday of each month, again it is run by volunteers.
“Everyone working in the kitchen, for both groups, has Food Hygiene certificates and attends regular training. Food and drink for both groups is provided free of charge, any donations received are used to keep the groups running and purchase new resources.
Horsforth Central Methodist Church (Leeds South & West circuit)
Our warm space is a room at the back of the church which we have always know as the Primary, relating back to the Sunday School days. It is a room with a hatch to the kitchen.
Our main warm space time is a Saturday morning when we serve tea, coffee and cakes and sometimes warm food to the general public, taking a donation at whatever they can afford. We also invite the congregation through for a chat and refreshments after the Sunday service. The space is also used by the MHA Communities 4 days a week for various activities lunches and coffee mornings.
Wesley’s Warm Space at Baildon Methodist Church (Bradford North circuit)
The members of Baildon Methodist Church have, for a long time, been committed to serving the community. In response to the cost of living crisis, and the inspiration of the Warm Spaces movement, we have been able to extend our engagement with local people. We are committed to sharing our premises, and encouraging a spirit of love and community. We know that isolation leads to mental and physical ill-health.
Our “Wesleys Café” (staffed each day by one cook and a rota of volunteers) is open to serve drinks and lunches from 10.00-3.00pm every weekday, and on Saturday mornings. We keep the prices as low as possible but we also offer vouchers for anyone to use to get a free hot drink, and a free soup and a roll at lunchtime: no questions asked. People are welcome to sit in our café area for as long as they wish, and to use our WiFi. We aim for everyone to find not only warmth but friendship as well. For those who have an acute shortage of food at home, we offer a Community Pantry table which operates on trust. Our strap line is “Take what you need for today: bring what you can if you can spare it.” It is a miracle that the flow of food and toiletries into the Community Pantry seems to match what gets taken.
Around 40 different groups and activities for all ages meet during the week on our premises. Our weekly footfall is more than 1200. We recently carried out an anonymised sample survey of people who come to Wesleys. Here are some of the comments we received:
“ It is a lovely atmosphere, great food, and a lovely family feel.”
“ It has made me feel part of a community.”
“ Gives me a reason to get up in the morning.”
“ A life-saver when my husband died.”
“ Community, friendship, talking and listening to people instead of sitting at home watching TV. A big difference. Uplifting.”
We are very grateful to the Methodist District for the financial support given to our Wesleys Warm Space.
Trinity Methodist Church, Mirfield (North Kirklees & Morley circuit)
“We are so grateful for the financial support which enables us to open our church premises for Soup Lunch twice a month on a Wednesday, and Coffee Morning on a Friday, which are attended by both church members and the community of Mirfield.
“It’s important to have a warm welcoming environment and your grant helps us to continue to provide this service.”
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