As the weather starts to turn colder and with energy bills on the rise, it’s reassuring to know that there are places across the Dudley borough where you will receive a Warm Welcome.

Take a look at the map to find a Warm Welcome near you...

If you need support to find a venue near where you live, please contact our friendly team at Dudley CVS on 01384 573381 or email us at info@dudleycvs.org.uk

You'll get a warm welcome and free hot drinks as well as warm space 

Every time you come to a Warm Welcomes space you'll be given a warm welcome from the staff and volunteers there. 

Everyone is treated equally, with dignity and respect 

Everyone has a right to be warm, so everyone in a Warm Welcomes space treats people, and is treated by people, with dignity and respect.  

Your Warm Welcomes space will be a safe space 

Your Warm Welcomes space will stick to the safeguarding policies that it always uses. 

It doesn't matter why you need a warm space 

Every Warm Welcomes space is a non-judgemental space; whatever the reason you have for needing to come in, you'll be treated the same and never judged.

If you want to share the reasons you need a Warm Welcomes space, someone will listen, but they won't tell anyone else unless you give them permission, or they must because of their safeguarding policies.

Warm Welcomes is our response to the cost-of-living crisis and imminent increases in energy costs – issues that are likely to disproportionately impact residents of the borough and voluntary sector organisations alike.

Dudley CVS is  working to bring together a network of venues where people can receive a warm welcome through the winter months and perhaps beyond.

We don’t see Warm Welcomes as an initiative that we own, rather as an opportunity for us to coordinate a community-led response. Having made our initial invitation, we commit to:

• Work alongside existing initiatives such as Places of Welcome.
• Map the Warm Welcomes offer in communities, at a neighbourhood level across the borough.
• Share resources, learning, experiences, ideas and practical support.
• Encourage other spaces to offer a Warm Welcome, developing a borough-wide offer.
• Mobilise people to support their local space of Warm Welcome.
• To promote Warm Welcomes to residents, organisations and stakeholders through a range of channels.

We envisage that Warm Welcomes will continue to evolve and develop, both in terms of our support and the offer that venues make to residents.

At Dudley CVS we believe passionately that working collectively is the best way to support and nurture our communities, especially when times are tough.

We recognise that this winter will be very challenging, as people face steep rises in the cost of living and soaring energy bills. We know that these challenges will also affect the organisations that we support and create conditions in which it is hard for communities to thrive.

Organisations and individuals are already stepping up to support Dudley’s residents through these difficult economic times. With the colder months approaching, we want to help bring together a network of venues that can offer people Warm Welcomes – somewhere they can enjoy companionship and a cuppa in a warm, safe, welcoming space.

We are inviting organisations that meet these simple criteria to join the Warm Welcomes network, so that together we can help the people of Dudley face the challenges that lie ahead.

We would like as many organisations as possible to be involved in the network, with a set of shared principles the only requirement for participation:

• Spaces can be any size
• There is no specific length of time that a space needs to be made available, but we do ask groups to let us know when people will be welcome, and if any, what activities the venue might be able to offer during those times.
• The space must be safe and welcoming for all.
• Basic refreshments should be available free of charge.
• There should be someone on hand to welcome people and lend a listening ear.
• Warm Welcomes is a way for organisations to be alongside the borough’s residents, rather than a means of delivering services to them.

If this is something you would like to be involved in, you can complete the Expression of Interest form below:

If you need support to complete the form please email dale@dudleycvs.org.uk