Social Spaces All Over The Place

Having a chat with neighbours and doing things that we enjoy in the company of others is one way of keeping us happier and healthier.

There are a few places in the community where you can have a brew, a laugh and a bit of company.

Springfield, Beech Hill and Gidlow CommUnity hosts two social spaces.

Wellfield Hotel

One is in the function room at the Wellfield Hotel, Wellfield Rd, on Thursday mornings, from 9am–12 noon.

The other is in the function room of the Hen Hole (Bird Ith Hand) on Gidlow Lane on Monday afternoons from 1pm–3pm.

There’s tea and coffee available, and you can pop in and out.

These social spaces have been going for over a year so that people can get together and do things they enjoy or just have a natter.

Vicky started to attend the social at the Wellfield Hotel, when it opened. She’s a community nurse, who was off work at the time.

She said, ‘I talked myself out of going a good few times; I said I was going to go and then didn’t. In the end, I decided to take the leap and go and have a cup of tea. I thought I could make excuses if I needed to get away. I never left!

Now I’m back at work. I love it when my day off is Thursday, and I can come, and when I’m at work, I’m wondering what everyone is up to.’

Vicky said she usually goes to groups that are connected to things she loves doing, like sewing, but that this is different.

"Here, it’s more about life experience and we’re all offering each other support without actually realising that we are doing it. Recipes, trouble at schooladvice and support. Everyone is so different and we’re all the same - everyone is just trying to get through life the best they can.

There’s a whole mix of people, young mums, older people and why we might not have had anything in common in the first place, we now have each other."

Hen Hole

The group at the Hen Hole are mainly men. One of the men shared his experience of going along. He said,

“I always feel better when I get back to my flat after I’ve been here. You feel better, and you’re not quite sure why you feel better. No matter what the conversation has been, I’ve always felt better when I’ve got back to my flat. That feeling always lasts. You’re not quite as stressed.”

Warm Spaces

Recently, we’ve seen a number of warm spaces open up across the community. These are social spaces that have been created to help with the cost of living crisis.

You can pop into Bookcycle whenever it’s open for a warm, books and a brew, and on Thursdays at 1pm, Liz and friends host a brew and a natter.

St Anne’s Community Centre holds a warm space on Monday mornings from 10am, and there are plans to have a weekly food pantry there too.

There’s also a warm space at St Andrew’s Parish Centre on Wednesdays between 12-2.30pm