Bus routes & soup

“It’s like a second home here, some people come every week - they’ve got their own set tables… we’d like to do more in the future like have lunch together.”

Creating a warm, open space where people want to come because they feel included is at the heart of Places of Welcome.

The Wealdstone Methodist Place of Welcome is hosted as a coffee morning in its church hall every week and is attended by regulars and newcomers regularly.

The volunteers here know the attendees so well they set up tables with their favourite puzzles and boardgames waiting for them at their preferred spot, ready to welcome them with a hot drink and warm smile.

One of the guests suffered a bereavement recently, and the Place of Welcome provided them with something positive to focus on and a regular date to occupy their time.

People attend the Wealdstone Place of Welcome for a variety of reasons. Some don’t have home internet access and rely on it for community information like bus routes and support groups.

Its volunteers see its purpose as even simpler than that. Creating an accessible and inclusive environment, where people could chat over food, provided the motivation to open as a Place of Welcome. Now, the popularity of the drop-ins has provided volunteers with a reason to go further, regularly offering hot soups and a no-questions safe place for people needing a meal.

“I can socialise here. I suffer from anxiety and worry sometimes and coming here takes my mind off things.”