Do you run a community organisation in Torbay and could you provide a space that is warm, welcoming and safe for local people?

We are inviting partners to apply for a slice of £32,000 to set up Warm Spaces in the community this winter. 

Community organisations can bid for up to £2,500 each to help them with the additional costs of running a Warm Space – and this can be done via the Torbay Council website.

Warm spaces are free to use and will provide hot drinks for visitors. They may also provide food or activities, too, and may be able to signpost people to other support if they need it.  

The council recognises that community partners are being affected by rising costs of food and fuel and might need a bit of extra help to offer a Warm Space to local people.  

While community partners can decide how they would like their Warm Space to operate, the council is asking them all to sign up to a Warm Spaces Charter, which outlines what visitors can expect. 

The charter promises: 

• Visitors will be welcome, warm and all will be treated equally 
• Warm Spaces are safe places – venues will have safeguarding policies and follow hygiene rules 
• It doesn’t matter why you visit a Warm Space – you won’t be judged 
• We won’t tell anyone you visited a Warm Space 

Councillor Hayley Tranter, Cabinet Member for Adult and Community Services, Public Health and Inequalities, said: “We are pleased to be able to once again launch the Warm Spaces funding for Torbay and look forward to hearing bids from local organisations.

“For whatever reason people may need to use a warm space, whether they are struggling to keep their homes warm, or just need a bit of company, the Warm Spaces scheme aims to support local people through the difficult winter months.

“Once the successful bidders have been announced we will publish information about all the warm spaces for Torbay on our website and other channels.”

Applications for funding will be open to constituted organisations within the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, including faith groups.  

Organisations must complete an Expression of Interest, giving information about what they plan to provide and how they intend to spend any funding. 

Most of the Warm Spaces are accessible to people with disabilities. There will be some which are more difficult to access, particularly for people with mobility problems – this will be indicated on the list of Warm Spaces on the council’s Cost of Living page. 

From December, the list will include Warm Spaces funded by the council and ones that have not received council funding. 

If your organisation is offering a Warm Space and would like to be included in the list, please send details to Commissioning@torbay.gov.uk with ‘Warm Spaces’ in the subject line.

You can find information on how to apply for a Warm Spaces grant (and other funding) via the Community Funding section of the website.