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Warm hub seeks funding after charity collapse

Sian FilcherWest Midlands
News imageBBC A man with short white hair, parted on one side, looks into the camera. He is clean shaven and wears a blue puffy waistcoat jacket over a striped blue shirt. He is in a room inside a building with an open doorway into a kitchen on one side and another doorway leads to a dining area.BBC
Brian Ingram said, without alternative sources of funding, they would no longer be able to fund certain activities such as trips

The organisers of a warm hub have said it needs to find support after having its funding cut.

Margaret and Brian Ingram, who run Atherstone Warm Hub in Warwickshire, told the BBC the sudden closure of WRCC (Warwickshire Rural Community Council) last month had left them without any financial support.

The couple said about 30 people attend each session of the hub, which has been running every Tuesday and Friday at St Benedict's Community Hall for 30 years.

Brian Ingram, 85, said there were other hubs in the county that would find it "very, very difficult" to operate without the financial support of WRCC.

On 1 December, WRCC announced the "incredibly difficult decision" that it had ceased trading with immediate effect.

The charity said it was "sorry" for its closure, which marked the end of "88 years of service to the communities of Warwickshire and Solihull".

The Ingrams said they would no longer be able to fund certain things, such as trips or celebrations, until they found alternative funding.

The hub is currently charging users £2 to attend each session, which will cover food and some of the heating.

News imageGoogle Google Streetview image of St Benedict's Church in Atherstone, Warwickshire, a red-brick church building in an urban street setting, with a brick wall and railings around it.Google
The warm hub in Atherstone said it needed to find new funding

Margaret Ingram, 82, said the closure of WRCC came "unexpectedly", adding: "It was a fantastic organisation.

"It isn't just us, it is all the other members of the warm hub organisation that we feel very sorry for too. We're all in the same position.

"We were expecting £1,500 to come to the hub to help with rent, heating and food over the winter months and of course we won't be getting it.

"We're in the fortunate position that, unlike many other warm hubs, our hub takes place in the church hall. The church won't turn us out, but we will have to get funding elsewhere."

She added that the hub's importance had increased since the Covid-19 lockdown, saying: "People were isolated and got out of the habit of going out. We were there welcoming people who were lonely, isolated or had problems.

"We have some who have early-onset dementia. We have a number of people who are disabled, some severely, so it is important that we carry on."

'Difficult to keep going'

Brian Ingram said there was "no way" that he would allow it to fail, despite having their funding cut.

He said: "It's quite difficult [to keep it going].

"We're now going to have to go into the field of general trusts who issue grants. I think there are 60-odd warm hubs, and we're all going to be chasing the same pot of money.

"It will keep going, but it's going to take a little bit of hard work."

He added that the hub had been even more important during the cold weather, saying: "All of the members got winter kits with blankets, electric throws, carbon monoxide alarms, they get all kinds of things.

"It's an essential service and like a lot of the things going on now, if it wasn't for the voluntary sector we'd be in very serious trouble."

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