Open Door Designated ‘Warm Space’ for People of Berkhamsted

Living Magazines The Open Door

Open Door Community Space and Café is delighted to have been designated an official ‘warm space’ within Hertfordshire, which further extends and confirms their ambition to be a safe, welcoming, vibrant place for the people of Berkhamsted.

Due to increases in the cost of living, we are all facing unprecedented pressures, and heating our homes is more expensive than ever. A designated ‘warm space’ is somewhere people can use to stay warm this winter, and where you’ll always get a warm welcome.

Open Door is open Monday – Friday 10.30am- 3.30pm, and Saturday 10.30am-1pm, and during these times their café offers hot and cold drinks, cakes, a savoury dish such as soup, and a place to be. The café operates on a donations basis – so pay as much, or as little as you’d like, or are able. Read more about the café at www.opendoorberkhamsted.co.uk/community-food. There is free wifi, power sockets, and usually an exhibition of local art as well, as well as lots of activities around the building.

Here is what Open Door have signed up to pledge to offer from their Warm Space…

  • You’ll get a warm welcome as well as Warm Space
  • Everyone is treated equally, with dignity and respect
  • Your Warm Space will be a safe space
  • We’ll not tell anyone about you needing a Warm Space
  • It doesn’t matter why you need a Warm Space
  • Options of what to do in your Warm Space – join in – or not!
  • Choose your food and drink for your Warm Space

Read this in full, as well as see the full list Warm Herts – Warm Spaces directory at www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/warmspaces. Open Door is also listed over at: www.warmspaces.org, www.warmwelcome.uk and www.communities1st.org.uk/warm-hubs.

Warm Space this Christmas

Open Door usually closes completely for Christmas in order to give their hard-working volunteers and team a break, but this year they feel it’s essential to offer a skeleton service, so their volunteers will be opening up on Tuesdays 27 Dec & 3 January between 10am-12noon, in order to welcome people in.

During those slots they’ll be offering a warm place to be – to chat, meet, or just get out of the house – serving hot drinks, cakes and soup. There won’t be any surplus/waste food which they’d usually give out on Tuesdays at the newly launched Community Fridge, but they will be giving out food supplies to those who need – kindly donated by the local community, and Herts Community Foundation. And, don’t forget, the Community Pantry outside the front is open 24/7 for anyone who needs, and will be kept stocked up with food over the break by Open Door’s volunteers.

Can you help?

There are many ways you can help Open Door’s work – which is funded entirely by donations and grants:

  • If you’d like to help by donating food, or keeping the pantry stocked, please email Communityfood@opendoorberkhamsted.co.uk or drop non-perishable food in to Open Door during opening times, or the Pantry out the front directly
  • If you’re a business or individual who would like to donate money either for food, or to cover heating / building costs etc, please donate at www.opendoorberkhamsted.co.uk/donate (monthly recurring donations are especially welcome!) or email info@opendoorberkhamsted.co.uk if you’d like to discuss partnering
  • If you’d like to get involved with volunteering, whether for food projects, working in the café, or anything else, please email volunteering@opendoorberkhamsted.co.uk
  • Please spread the word about the Warm Space, services by sharing in newsletters, Whatsapp groups, on social media etc.

Joan Fisher, Manager at Open Door Berkhamsted says: ‘Open Door is pleased to be listed as a Warm Space, welcoming in anyone who needs or wants, and joining with other community groups in the town such as Northchurch Social Centre and Berkhamsted Library, to provide people somewhere safe to go this winter, and beyond.’