A church cafe has opened as a warm space to help those in need this winter. Many people have been visiting the Infusion Coffee Shop on Derby Road, Long Eaton.
The cafe, which has been running for almost 20 years, is part of Long Eaton's Oasis Church. Associate Pastor Andrew Day, who helps to run the recently-registered warm space, shared the struggles and challenges people are facing as they visit the facility for a number of different reasons.
The 49-year-old said: "We’ve been quite fortunate this year in that the cold spell hit us a bit later. It’s only really been in the last couple of weeks or so that we’ve got a cold snap that people are using the warm space.
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"It’s anyone and everyone we’re seeing here. So we’ve had people who are homeless or not well off using this space. We’ve had people come and work in here, because since Covid a lot of people have been working from home and the cost to keep your house heated when you’re working at home all day would be astronomical.
"A lot of people have been using it because we’ve got Wi-Fi, charging points and so on. The type of venue this is, if they want to have their own space they can or if they want a chat they can. All our volunteers are prepared for that as well.
"I think it’s tough for those who work from home and sometimes that middle bracket that can’t get certain benefits. But at the older end, we are used by quite a number of pensioners and some of them are saying that they’re not doing too bad because of the support that they are getting."
He added: "We are registered with something called Suspended Coffee which is an international scheme that offers free coffee and food to whoever might need it. Again it’s something we see every week and more so now as well.
"Food has gone up between 15% and 20%. That's a challenge for some folk and there's a chance to get a free meal if they want from here. We try and serve our community the best way that we can both as a warm space and a place to get food.
"I think we are facing a mental health crisis and for many this is a place to seek refuge and be able to chat with someone, we see quite a diverse range. This isn’t just homeless people who come in, it’s people who are working, people who feel generally overloaded with work, life and family.
"What I keep saying to people is that there is help out there, it’s just sometimes helping people access that. Long Eaton is quite fortunate as there are a number of churches and charities that have opened up as a warm space. With this it just looks like a regular cafe; it's not necessarily uncomfortable for people to come in.”
Rob Fisher, 39, from Derby, travels across Derbyshire to visit the different warm spaces. He told Nottinghamshire Live he likes to socialise and play games with others at the warm hubs.
He said: "I just like to come and play board games. I think it’s good the community is stepping out. Sometimes I like to come to these warm spaces a lot."
Councillor Paul Maginnis, lead member for health and well-being at Erewash Borough Council, said: "The cost of living crisis is affecting millions of people across the country with concerns continuing to grow. That is why it is vital that we spread awareness of everything the council is doing to help Erewash residents and signpost the fantastic work of other organisations. There are many schemes running within the borough to help with whatever issue you’re facing and a variety of support networks to lean on at this time. I urge everyone to reach out should they need help this winter."
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