A WARM space will continue to be provided at The Laverton to anyone that needs it, says Westbury Town Council.
The town council initially opened the doors of The Laverton in October of last year and joined a growing number of councils and government bodies offering people a safe, warm place to drop in for a few hours of the day during the winter months.
Public spaces such as community centres, churches, and libraries are also being used as warm spaces, allowing people who may be struggling to heat their homes this winter to gather inside the public buildings.
The decision to continue to provide a warm space at The Laverton for the foreseeable future was confirmed at a meeting of the policy and resources committee of the town council on Monday 6th February.
Speaking at the meeting cllr Mike Sutton said, “This is a moral gesture to say that we are open to those that need it. Even if not many people make use of the space, I think we should do our bit to continue to offer assistance to those in our local community.”
Cllr Gordon King added, “The worst of the credit crisis is yet to come; it is not over by any means. Economic forecasts see us sliding into recession in the next quarter and I think it is more important than ever to provide this space, even if it is not used.”
In the town council’s report of how the warm spaces have been utilised, it was revealed that the space had only been used by four people so far.
In the report Philip Torjussen, The Laverton facilities and development officer said, “We are a distance out of town and because of bookings for our rooms here, it is sometimes difficult to have a dedicated space that people can easily and comfortably come into. We also have the issue that staff have not had any training to deal with members of the public who can be challenging, and it can be a bit daunting for staff dealing with someone who may have difficulties and who needs professional help.
“All staff have been very proactive in assisting anyone who comes to use the warm space and the feedback we have received from our few visitors includes comments about how welcoming and helpful staff are.”
The Community Room of The Laverton is open from 9.30am to 4pm Monday to Friday.
For more information on the warm space visit the town council website.
Wiltshire Council has created an online community directory to help people find warm spaces and community food providers: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/article/6801/Interactive-Community-Directory
All Wiltshire libraries are open to the public throughout the year, but now anyone is welcome to drop-in to any library in the county during the usual opening hours to have a sit down, a hot drink where possible, pick up some useful information, take part in activities and enjoy a friendly chat with staff should they need it.
Pictured: The Laverton.
