The first blast of winter has left many Harrogate district people worried about the cost of staying warm.

We have therefore compiled information about warm spaces available in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Ripon. If you know of any others in these places or in Boroughbridge, Pateley Bridge and Masham let us know and we will add them. Email contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

The information has been provided by community groups across the district.

Netmakers, formerly known as Harrogate Hub, is a movement of local churches working together to make a difference in the community.

Its website has details of the following places in Harrogate, Starbeck and Knaresborough offering, warm and welcoming safe places to go.

Information provided by Netmakers

Further details are available here on the Netmakers website.

The community benefit society Knaresborough Connectors has also devised details of warm spaces in Knaresborough. ]

Knaresborough Connectors’ list

More details of the locations, known as public living rooms, are available here.

Numerous public buildings in and around Ripon are throwing open their doors for free in Ripon each day, including Ripon Library and Allhallowgate Methodist Church.

Ripon Cathedral has compiled details here.

Wynn James, senior pastor of Life Destiny Church in Starbeck and trustee of Harrogate District Foodbank said:

“Our doors are open. We want our community to know that we are here to help. By working together across our area we hope to offer spaces in every corner of our community.

“I urge people to use the warm spaces and not to feel alone at this tough time.”

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Links to all of the organisations providing warm spaces, along with details of voluntary organisations that are at the forefront of the campaign to help people who are struggling this winter, are available on the Harrogate & District Community Action website.

Frances Elliot, chief executive of HADCA, said:

“Please do check out where to turn in your area, through churches or through other community organisations and encourage anyone you come across who feels reluctant about speaking up to do so, this particularly hard winter”

A church in Boroughbridge is opening its doors for 12 hours every Thursday to ensure nobody is cold or lonely at home.

St James’s Church will offer activities and hot drinks, as well as somewhere warm to be and to socialise, from 9am to 9pm each week.

The church already hosts Make Time for Music for babies, toddlers and their carers from 9.30am to 10am on a Thursday. Bell ringing, recorder and mindfulness groups also meet once a month.

Now, from 6.30pm until 9pm, people will be able to use the church for reading, playing board games or simply having someone to chat to, all with hot drinks served.

Rev Karen Gardiner said:

“It was our first day on Thursday. We had 16 families come in for our new music group this week, which is great.

“There is no fixed cost for anything, though people can make a donation to the costs of running these if they would like to and are able.

“The church is kept at a comfortable 18 degrees throughout the day with the loos open. We are open and warm at some other times of the week too.

“We’re keen that the message gets out to everyone who would either like to be somewhere free and warm, or who would like to just make friends and do something different.”

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The initiatives is part of St James’s “somewhere to belong” programme, which is aimed at ensuring anyone in the local area is made welcome at all church events.

This means there are no fixed entry fees for anything, so people can donate as much or as little as they are able, ensuring anyone struggling financially can still join in. There are also provisions in place to support people who have dementia, mental ill health, autism spectrum disorders, problems with substance abuse, and other health conditions, to help everyone feel as comfortable and welcome as possible.

Make Time for Music is part of the warm space day every Thursday in Boroughbridge

The church is funding the weekly ‘warm space’ initiative through a grant from Leeds Diocese of £770.

Rev Gardiner said:

“That gives us the ability to open much more and keep the heating on.

“We still don’t know exactly how much it’s going to cost us, but we felt it was a matter of faith and principle. We are in a better position than most people to offer a warm space, so we want to share that with our community.”

For more information, visit the church website.