by John Prince
A weekly drop-in session that started a few years ago so local people can socialise, make new friends and have a meal together has got under way again for the next six months.
Skipsea Village Hall hosts a Warm Space every Friday from 10am until 1pm. It runs until the end of March, and helps people who may be on their own, who have lost a partner or who don’t get out much come and spend a few hours with others.
It’s offered free of charge, but everyone who comes along typically gives a small donation of a couple of pounds. For that they get a freshly cooked meal, a cuppa, newspapers to read and plenty of time to have a natter.
The project is sustained through donations and a small grant. There are other fundraising efforts like raffles for which people often bring their own prizes. The money just about covers the costs of the Warm Space, as it is a non-profit-making group run entirely by unpaid volunteers.
Volunteer Val Rolt who started the project said: “This started three or four years ago when fuel prices really shot up, and we managed to get a grant to provide a Warm Space for people to come.
“It’s not just about coming and having a meal, it’s much, much more.
“We’ve got people from Ulrome and Atwick and some from Bridlington so people don’t just come from the village.
“You can see people are here, chatting and socialising. It’s a lot of hard work but you’ve only got to look out there and see what it does for those people. A lot of them are widows and widowers and single people.
“It’s a lifeline. Sometimes you’d just be sitting at home and looking at four walls. That’s the real push for us doing it – that we’re a real service to this village and surrounding area.”
