Wiltshire libraries have officially joined the list of warm spaces available in the county to support anyone struggling to heat their homes this winter taking the numbers of locations registered on the council’s interactive map to 99.

Some spaces will also be organising additional activities, like in Bradford on Avon where the library announced a games afternoon running every week from Friday, December 2.

“Come along and enjoy board games, puzzles, a chat and a hot drink.

“Alternatively feel free to bring along your own games, knitting or craft projects and enjoy a warm space to spend the afternoon in,” shared the library on social media.

Wiltshire library staff will also offer a hot drink where possible, “warmth packs” if needed, basic energy advice, and referrals or signposting to other partners and agencies.

Councillor Richard Clewer, leader of the Wiltshire council, said: “As well as council warm spaces, there are many other warm spaces throughout the county that local communities have got up and run themselves.

"We thank everyone once again for pulling together and looking out for one another.”

Not all warm spaces are registered on the council’s interactive map however. Some initiatives may appear on the website warmspaces.org or be organised and communicated more locally.

That’s the case in Devizes where Sustainable Devizes’s Graham Martin is coordinating local businesses and community organisers.

Martin said: “I think we are providing at the community level more than Wiltshire Council ever could.

“They did come to our planning meeting when we invited them, and we are also referring people to them.”

The retired 67-year-old realised that although they couldn’t provide specialist advice, the warm spaces could serve as a place to signpost them.

He said: “We had such wacky ideas at the beginning!

“We settled on warm spaces because of Martin Lewis‘s idea in the summer.

“A local business is putting together the leaflet, signs and handouts for us, and the council is helping with the printing.”

The list, that Devizes town council helps coordinate, is updated every two weeks and has now reached seven registered spaces in the town and immediate surroundings – including community spaces and the Southgate Inn on Potterne Road.

Sustainable Devizes is also looking at spreading open days of the spaces to cover the whole week:

“Many spaces offer to open on Thursdays, because it’s market day.

“As most of them are volunteer-run, we might call for more hands if we need to open for longer hours or more support.”

“There will be a few more pleats to iron out, but that’s part of the learning process, he concludes.

In the county town, Trowbridge Future is now confident they will be able to keep the lights, and heating on, to welcome residents in both theirs hubs thanks to a £1,000 community grant.

Their Chief Executive, Meg Aubrey, told us: “This grant from Trowbridge council will enable us to continue our work, providing a space like a public living room, where residents can have a cup of tea, join activity groups or find out about other services available to them.”

“We are here to respond to the issues faced by residents but it’s also important they come together themselves and tell us what they need.

“That’s why community cafés like the ones we have in the Shires and Seymour hubs in Trowbridge are essential.

“I’ve only been in this role for four years but it’s been an amazing journey, being able to support navigating challenging times through Covid and cost of living crisis.”

The charity executive concludes: “It’s such an amazing community.

"We really need to keep going and get additional funding to support our other oversubscribed activities.”