A ‘community living room’ warm space at St Paul’s in Kewstoke which was set up at the beginning of this year has already been embraced by the local community and is helping bring people together to support one another through difficult times.
Every Tuesday from 10am until 4pm St Paul’s church hall is open as a space where people can come and receive a warm welcome. In the mornings there is tea, coffee, cake and biscuits, later there is a lunch of soup, bread and cake. The afternoons though quieter are a time for people to come with their friends for a chat, do a puzzle, read their book or in the case of Reverend Gail Thomas, Vicar of Kewstoke & Wick St Lawrence, prepare her sermon.
Revd Gail says, “This has been really well supported by the community. We are now getting 20-30 people coming along to our coffee mornings where previously we only had around 8. And we are having to add more tables every week.
“We have made new friends in the village who would never have come along to the church coffee morning but who now feel comfortable to come into the community living room. Last week we even took over the village puzzle swap from a local lady who wanted to reclaim her porch.”
Initially the plan was to keep the warm space open until the end of February, but it has been so successful that St Paul’s is thinking about making it a permanent fixture in the church diary.
Gail says, “Our congregation has been so welcoming and this has been born out by people returning every week. I for one would love to see this continue.”