Remember back at the start of the year, January time when everyone was making New Year Resolutions and plans of doing new things in the year ahead? If you were one of the many that did just that and one of the many things you promised yourself you would do this year was visit places you’d not been before, we can help!
Since the start of 2024, Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent have welcomed nine new Places of Welcome opening in their area! There are now a total of 195 Places of Welcome across the Black Country, Staffordshire, Stoke and North Shropshire.
Places of Welcome started in Birmingham. It aims to create a network of safe places where people can connect, belong and contribute. There are now well over 750 venues, rapidly spreading to other villages, towns and cities across England and Wales from its West Midlands base.
One of the goals of the movement is to help build a network of places in each area, where you can make friends and meet people, and can be in any location accessible to the public, including churches, mosques, temples, community centres, housing associations, libraries and pharmacies, even community gardens!
Within the borough of Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent, there is a Place of Welcome currently open six out of the seven days of the week. The nine Places of Welcome groups listed below are all new to the network:
- Warm Welcome, The Methodist School Room, Brookfield Road, Ipstones, ST10 2LY – Fridays 14:00 to 17:00
- The Hub @ Pye Green, Pye Green Community Centre, Bradbury Lane, Hednesford, WS12 4EP – Mondays 13:00 – 15:00
- Hednesford Library, Market Street, Hednesford, WS12 1AD – Wednesdays 10:30 to 12:30
- Huntington Welcome Space, St Thomas’ Church, 18 Dual Way, Huntington, Cannock, WS12 4PJ – Wednesdays 13:30 – 15:30
- St Andrew’s Church (in the Church Room), Stafford Road, Weston upon Trent, Stafford, ST18 0HX – Fridays 10:00 – 12:00
- Better Together Community, 4 Woodberry Close, Trent Vale, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 5LU – Monday to Friday 09:30 – 13:00 and Saturday 10.00 – 12:00
- YMCA North Staffordshire, Edinburgh House, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3AE – Thursdays 10:00 – 12:00
- St Luke’s Church, Wellington Terrace, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3PX – Wednesdays 8:30 – 10.30 *opens 3rd July*
- St Werburgh’s Church Hall, High Lane, Burslem, Stoke on Trent, ST6 7AH – Fridays 13:00 – 15:00
That’s a lot of cups of tea made, many a new friendship formed and even more friendly smiles at the door to welcome you in and make you fell just that; Welcome.
Each Place of Welcome follows the same values; what is often referred to as the 5 P’s:
Place:
An accessible and hospitable building, open at the same time every week.
People:
Open to everyone regardless of their circumstances or situation, and usually staffed by volunteers.
Presence:
A place where people actively listen to one another.
Provision:
Offering free refreshments (at least a cup of tea and a biscuit) and basic local information.
Participation:
Recognises that every person coming to a Place of Welcome will bring talents, experiences and skills that they might be willing to share locally.
It is these values that are the key to the whole movement and therefore these cannot be changed or adapted. Each venue agrees to stick to each value. Places of Welcome is not a franchise model and there are no charges for joining.
Places of Welcome Coordinators have the support of a Place of Welcome Facilitator, networking opportunities with other coordinators, promotion, branding and shared resources from the wider Strengthening Communities team, including training sessions and events. As a welcome gift we also offer a Places of Welcome A Frame Board, a dozen mugs, posters, leaflet templates and social media graphics.
If you like the sound of all the above, or you want to visit a Place of Welcome in a different area, more information can be found at www.placesofwelcome.org.uk and for local information Places of Welcome – Diocese of Lichfield (anglican.org)
If you are running a similar coffee and would like to find out more about registering the group as a Place of Welcome, please click here Place of Welcome Registration Form (tfaforms.net)
