New partnership will boost access to community spaces in the West Midlands

The news comes as National Grid and Warm Welcome hosted a roundtable at National Grid’s HQ, chaired by former Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Gordon Brown, to discuss the role that businesses can play in supporting community spaces in the West Midlands that tackle fuel poverty and create a more connected society.

Attended by senior national business leaders, the roundtable helped to identify opportunities for collaboration with Warm Welcome, and with each other, to build a collective, positive impact on communities.

Established in 2022 as a response to the cost-of-living crisis after a meeting between Rt Hon Gordon Brown and faith leaders, Warm Welcome has developed a thriving UK network of 4,000 community Warm Welcome Spaces of all kinds – faith groups, libraries, community centres, sports clubs, theatres, cafes and many more.

Between them, these community spaces have received more than 4.5 million visits over the last two winters, with 62 per cent of the UK population now within a 30-minute walk of a registered Warm Welcome Space.

In Birmingham and the Black Country, this includes Gas Street Church and the SHARE Community Project in Birmingham, St Matthew's Church in Wolverhampton, the Bath Street Centre in Walsall, the Brasshouse Community Centre in Smethwick, and Tipton Library.

Warm Welcome has been a key recipient of National Grid's Community Matters Fund. Over 400 Warm Spaces received £2.7m funding from the Community Matters Fund last year.

Since its launch in 2021, the Community Matters Fund has awarded £10.5 million to local groups, charities and not for profits across the Midlands, South West and South Wales.

The new partnership between the two organisations will create opportunities for National Grid employees to volunteer in local Warm Welcome Spaces through the winter and ensure that more spaces in the West Midlands are given the support they require to thrive as a community hub for those in need.

The aim is to create a co-ordinated ecosystem of support for vulnerable consumers, with signposting and referrals between local Warm Welcome Spaces, home energy advice, and other sources of support such as National Grid's Priority Services Register (PSR). The PSR provides extra help and additional support during a power cut for elderly, very ill or disabled people, or those who rely on power for medical equipment.

Warm Welcome's new five year strategy aims to give 100 per cent of the population good access to thriving, sustainable and inclusive community spaces. It is anticipated that National Grid will be able to support over 1,000 Warm Welcome Spaces across the communities it serves within two years because of the partnership.

Former Prime Minister, Rt Hon Gordon Brown, said: “Warm Welcome is starting to change the culture of our country, beginning to turn the tide on both poverty and isolation and connecting individuals and communities. With the support of corporate partnerships, foundations and donors, Warm Welcome is a model for the kind of partnerships that will endure because they bring people together and ensure the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This partnership with National Grid Electricity Distribution is significant. It will serve as a catalyst for change, encouraging more and more businesses to come forward in support of the ‘Warm Welcome for All’ pledge. By working together, we can unlock the power of community and create a more deeply connected society in community spaces made by, and for, everyone."

Paul Branston, Director of Regulation at National Grid Electricity Distribution, said: "It was a pleasure hosting the Rt Hon Gordon Brown, Warm Welcome and business leaders to discuss what more can be done to help community initiatives in the West Midlands thrive. We are proud of our Community Matters Fund and the tangible, positive impact it has had in supporting a network of Warm Welcome Spaces.

"This new partnership is another big step in the right direction and will significantly increase the number of, and access to, Warm Welcome Spaces, tackling loneliness and isolation. We hope that other corporate partners will sign up to the initiative, which brings immense social value to communities up and down the country."

David Barclay, Campaign Director at Warm Welcome, said: “National Grid Electricity Distribution's generous partnership with Warm Welcome will be game-changing. As our inaugural pledge partner, National Grid is leading the way in helping to realise our vision for everyone to find a place of belonging and reconnection at a Warm Welcome Space near their home.

"We have already seen the transformational impact National Grid has had on community spaces, benefiting hundreds of thousands of people last winter. A two-year partnership can achieve much more by connecting communities and people, through volunteering, and by telling the Warm Welcome story for positive change. It’s a shining example of how businesses can come together and join us in pledging support towards a Warm Welcome for All."

By Matt Turner - Contributor