Wetherby charity cafe supporting thousands battling cost of living crisis marks major milestone
A charity café, that has been visited by almost 4,000 people across Wetherby, has been celebrating its second birthday.
Wetherby in Support of the Elderly (WiSE) launched its Welcome Café two years ago to support people of all ages as they battled the cost of living crisis.
The café proved so successful over its 102 weekly sessions that the short term initiative became a permanent fixture as part of Voluntary Action Leeds’ award-winning ‘Warm Spaces’ scheme.
Mark Dobson, Chief Operating Officer at WiSE, said: “What started out as a short term initiative to help people through winter hardship proved to be a desperately needed social and economic lifeline to lots of people of all ages right here in Wetherby.
“Although WiSE is best known for its work with isolated, older people, we’ve always emphasised that the Welcome Café is open to absolutely anyone.
"You don’t need to be over a certain age and you don’t need a referral- we’ll offer a warm welcome and something to eat to anyone who needs our support.
“That’s the ethos behind the Warm Spaces scheme and WiSE’s extended work as a Local Community Anchor Network, supporting vulnerable groups of all ages.”
The WiSE Welcome Café is open on Tuesday’s from 11.30am till 1.30pm at Wetherby Town Hall.
Patrons make a donation of their choice in exchange for food and company in a warm and welcoming space.
The café is supported by organisations including The Oven Door, Sainsbury’s and Wetherby and District Foodbank.
From time-to-time, other local organisations attend the café to offer advice on how people can stay safe, warm and well.
For more information about Wetherby in Support of the Elderly, visit www.w-ise.org.uk