The Museum of the Home in Haggerston relaunched the Warm Welcome Spaces Campaign on 31 October to offer food, hot drinks and activities to members of the local community.
The nationwide campaign, launched in 2021, aims to tackle social isolation and poverty during the winter months by inviting community spaces to offer services to their local residents.
Audiences Director at the Museum of the Home, Sanjit Singh Chudha, said its participation in the campaign, tied in with the Museum’s central ethos.
“We’re trying to build a sense that our home is their home too,” said he. “Whilst it is a museum, it’s not a place that is frozen in aspect…it is a place that is welcoming, warm and homely”.
As part of its Warm Welcome activities, the Museum hosts a weekly food bank. Another service, ‘Free Tea Fridays’, invites local residents for tea and a sweet treat alongside creative activities and conversation.
More and more people are coming to their activities, according to Mr Chudha.
“We are seeing participation going up during the winter months, and sadly it’s a reflection that more people are needing the services,” he said. While ‘Free Tea Fridays’ saw three or four participants when first launched, he predicts they may have at least 20 people coming along weekly.
Across the country, warm spaces had more than 2 million visitors last year.
“There’s a sense that this matters enormously. If anything, we need to grow this and focus on it more and more,” he said.
More information on the Museum’s activities as part of Warm Welcome season can be found on their website. Spaces offering services across the country can be found here.
