Ten community organisations in Harrow will run Warm Hubs this winter, thanks to funding from Cadent Gas. The hubs will offer warm spaces and raise awareness about safety and well-being.
Cadent’s Centres for Warmth provide support for people in vulnerable situations, funding community centres with resources and training to expand their services and offer trusted advice.
Lucy Nembaware from Cadent visited the hub run by the African Cultural Association last week, handing out free carbon monoxide detectors and talking to visitors about gas safety.
The African Cultural Centre’s hub at Canons Community Centre in Stanmore will offer hot meals, keep fit classes, arts and crafts, and games to over 40 people every week.
Marjorie Manu from the African Cultural Association said, “The people coming to the warm hub really benefit from having somewhere safe and warm they can come every week. They make friends and we get to know each other, which then makes it easier to offer advice and help.”
Phil Burrows, Cadent’s Head of Customer Vulnerability Social Programme, said, “Alongside the improvement works we have been carrying out [in Harrow]…we are delighted to be able to support individuals in vulnerable situations – especially as we progress towards the winter period.”
The hubs, which are open to everyone, will be supported for the next 18 months. Age UK Harrow and Brent has been funded as the project’s advice partner.
Rachel Wright from Harrow Giving added, “We have seen the awful tragedies in the news of gas-related accidents in people’s homes, so we want to make sure nothing like that happens in Harrow. This funding from Cadent will support vulnerable people to keep both warm and safe this winter.”
To find out which hubs are running, visit www.harrowgiving.org.uk/hubs.
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