Many people are worried about the cost of living crisis and how they will cope this winter. Cornwall's charities and community groups have combined forces to make it easier to find practical help and support with a network of 35 Community Hubs across the county offering winter support.
Exact services and opening times vary from location to location but the kind of support you might expect to find at a Community Hub includes:
- A warm place to go, with the offer of hot food / drink in many locations
- Activities you can join in with ranging from arts and craft sessions to cooking skills to IT - all delivered in a warm and friendly environment
- Access to practical information on managing your money and 'Winter Wellbeing' guides
- Drop in sessions on energy saving, benefit entitlement etc
- Someone to talk to who can hear your concerns and connect you to the right organisation who can help you
View a map of the location of the Community Hubs
Community Gateway
There is also new service, called Community Gateway.
Community gateway is for people who haven't got a Community Hub near to where they live or who are unable to leave the house due to illness or frailty.
Do either of these apply to you or someone you know?
- Are you struggling to find the help and support you need for yourself, a family member or patient?
- Are you tired of being passed from pillar to post when all you really want is someone to listen to you and understand your health and care needs?
We're pleased to announce that Volunteer Cornwall has teamed up with a host of voluntary sector partners to bring you 'The Community Gateway'.
Led by Age UK & CHAOS Group, the Gateway is a new portal that will help you get help and support from the right bit of the voluntary sector.
It will be open from 8am till 8pm, 7 days/week.
It will be staffed by friendly, knowledgeable people who will listen to your story, then discuss your options with you and help you get support from the right voluntary sector partner.
Contact details
Phone: 01872 266383
Email: gateway@ageukcornwall.org.uk
The Gateway will work closely with the Community Hubs across Cornwall and with the NHS and Cornwall Council.
In time, we hope that it will become the first port of call for anyone wanting support from the voluntary sector but please bear with us in the early days as we set up and fine-tune this exciting and innovative new way of working together.
Warm Welcome Scheme
Local churches, faith groups, community centres, businesses and more are taking part in the ‘Warm Welcome’ scheme, opening their doors to allow people to come and use their spaces, to be warm, and have some food, rather than heating their own homes.
There is an extensive, and growing, list on the website, as more organisations register.
