From finding warm spaces to making food parcels - the Scarborough charity helping to tackle the Cost of Living crisis

Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Mind is a community support organisation on the Yorkshire coast.

They are currently working around the cost of living crisis, and are working with a number of community groups to support those in need.

Catherine Mason, Service Manager at SWR Mind, said: “In a nutshell, we're working with other organisations and community groups to add value to what they do.

“So rather than us becoming yet another food bank, or another warm bank and welcome space, what we're doing is we're actually supporting what others already do, to fill in their gaps.”

They identified organisations that may need support, such as food banks and fridges, warm spaces and parents and tots groups, as well as individual people such as over-60s, working class families and people who live on their own.

They support these groups by providing packs including food parcels for individuals and families, sanitary products, hygiene boxes and they also offer a voucher scheme.

Debi Lewis, Cost of Living Coordinator at SWR Mind, said: “These food parcels don't require any cooking or refrigeration.

“So if someone is without electricity or gas for a number of days, because they can't afford it, for example, then the food pack will get them through.”

Food parcels can be made to suit any dietary requirements including vegan or to accommodate those with a food allergy.

Food parcels are available from a number of places including Citizens Advice Bureau on Elders Street, Hunmanby Community Fridge, Filey Community Fridge, St. Martin-on-the-Hill and Westway Open Arms.

Debi added: “There’s quite a few others, we've tried to get it spread as far across the district as we can.”

Hygiene boxes and sanitary products can be found in the bathrooms of the community spaces and people can help themselves to the products they need.

Catherine explained: “What we've tried to do is make it available in a way where people aren’t stigmatised and don't stand out as being a ‘charity case’.”

SWR Mind are also involved in creating the website for the Warm and Welcome Spaces for Scarborough Council.

Catherine said: “The council asked us to develop a website which brought together all the different warm and welcome spaces across the district.

“It's a community led website and the intention is if a community group, church building, or other organisation or private business are opening up a space as a warm place then they can add their details to the website.”The warm spaces are open and are available to everyone.

“The public can go on to the website, and filter by area - such as South Cliff, Eastfield, Newby, etc - and it will tell you where the warm and warm welcome spaces are.”

The charity are also providing a voucher scheme with local cafes as part of the ‘Warm and Welcome’ initiative.

Catherine said: “Community groups will get the vouchers and they can distribute them to people that could benefit from that.

"Again, they're not stigmatized by it, because anybody could go in and buy a voucher from a cafe.”

The Warm and Welcome Spaces website can be found here.

The website also shows the different activities happening within the welcome spaces, such as knitting groups.

Funding for the cost of living support will end in March, and SWR Mind are trying to give as much support as they can in the coming months.

Debi added that they would like to thank the public, Morrisons and Proudfoots and organisations with their support so far.

If you would like to help support SWR Mind, visit https://www.swrmind.org.uk/donate/