Warm Hub in Woking provides comfort in cold weather
The Lighthouse in Woking is one of the many warm spaces across the county.
As snow hit Surrey yesterday, many people stayed inside because of the cold weather.
It also re-emphasised the importance of warm hubs in the Surrey area.
Warm hubs are spaces in the county, where people can keep warm and socialise.
One of these hubs is The Lighthouse, based in Woking. which leads a wide range of community projects, including a community lunch, a Ukrainian Hub and a foodbank.
"A very good place for people to come in from the cold"
Erik Jespersen is one of the founders of The Lighthouse. He talks about the benefits of having activities running alongside providing a warm space.
"I think people largely don't necessarily want to come in and say 'oh, you know what, I'm struggling to heat my home, can I come and sit here for an hour?'
"It works much better to just have a space where there are things happening already. They can just come and say 'oh I've come to join in your creative arts project, or join in the community lunch', and actually they're benefitting from the warm space, without having to label themselves as someone who's in need specifically of that."
Erik also highlighted how the cold weather can prove challenging for homeless people.
"I think there's a real shortage of provision for homelessness in the area. I know that can be a real challenge, local authorities have schemes where when it's particularly cold they can provide very very temporary accommodation so we're grateful for that - but it is incredibly challenging."
People at The Lighthouse yesterday enjoyed a warm meal, at the community lunch which takes place every Wednesday.
One person said "I'm not putting much heat into my cottage at the moment, so having this place here to drop into is certainly beneficial" whilst another person described The Lighthouse as "a very good place for people to come in from the cold."
More information can be found on The Lighthouse's website.