GUV Netherfield Warm Space and Community Hub

Aim

Donations will help us keep our warm spaces and community cafè open for extended hours into Winter and Spring 2023 to serve Milton Keynes.

Our Projects

 At Grand Union Vineyard Church, Netherfield we run a popular community fridge and community cafè.  We have extended the hours of our cafè and other community groups to create warm spaces for those who need it in surrounding areas.  The cost of living crisis has put a huge strain on people’s finances, and providing warm, welcoming  spaces for people to use is a vital service to families in Milton Keynes this winter. Keeping warm spaces and the community fridge open as much as possible is helping many families with food and being able to pay bills. Our other community groups, such as wellbeing mornings and additional needs/home education groups are also vital projects for our wider community. 

Our Impact

Community Fridge, Community Cafè  and the warm spaces we have set up are essential hubs in our local community.  In 2022 Community Fridge had 6240 separate visits from people in need of food, and saved 72 tonnes of food from landfill. 

Our community fridge won the 'Spirit of Woughton' award from Woughton Community Council in 2022, for outstanding services to our community.  

Our Community Fridge, Community Cafè  and the warm spaces  are essential hubs in our local community.  In 2022 Community Fridge had 6240 separate visits from people in need of food, and saved 72 tonnes of food from landfill. 

Our community fridge won the 'Spirit of Woughton' award from Woughton Community Council in 2022, for outstanding services to our community.  

We have extended our community fridge opening hours so that it is easier for people to access free food.  Increasing our cafè opening hours, and extending our social groups means that we can provide extra time in a warm space for those struggling with fuel bills.  

We have additional warm spaces throughout the winter so that people struggling with the cost of living crisis can access a warm, welcoming community space. 

 People are able to keep warm without worrying about the heating bill.  We have warm drinks and snacks and people can charge their phone.

Warm spaces also give us the opportunity to meet people and find out if they need extra help.  This means that we can refer people to our Storehouse project if they are in need of clothes, or other services in the community that will be able to help them.

Why are we crowdfunding?

We need to raise funds to be able to keep our extended opening hours through Winter/Spring 2023.   Our own fuel bills have increased dramatically, and we need support to be able to keep our warm spaces and other community groups open.   Funding will allow us to keep our warm spaces open and our fuel bills paid so that we can support the most vulnerable in our community. 

Additional funds will allow us to add warm space sessions, and make sure that our current hours can continue.  It will allow us to develop our services and be able to continue such a vital community space next winter. 

How we’ll spend the money raised

Money donated will be used for our increasing gas and electricity costs to continue to run our  warm spaces. It will also help us fund the spiraling costs of extending hours and running community fridge, the community cafè and all our other community groups.

Money may also be used toward the cost of refreshments and food for the warm spaces.  Donations left over after paying our energy costs will also help us create warm, and welcoming spaces for all our groups.  

This project successfully funded on 25th March 2023