How Warm Spaces are bringing Comfort, Connection and Community to the Vale this Winter

15 December 2025

As temperatures begin to drop across the Vale of Glamorgan, a growing network of community organisations, charities, libraries, schools and volunteer groups are preparing to open their doors.

Not just to offer warmth, but to create spaces where residents can feel connected, supported and welcomed.

This winter’s warm spaces programme builds on the success of previous years but goes further, supporting a wide range of community-led initiatives that aim to tackle isolation, improve wellbeing and strengthen local resilience. 

Across the Vale, warm spaces are becoming more than places to keep warm, they’re evolving into hubs of conversation, companionship, and practical support. 

Visitors to Warm Spaces can expect everything from community meals and coffee mornings to cooking classes, healthy eating workshops, memory cafés and activities designed to bring generations together. Several projects also offer training in food hygiene, nutrition or employability - helping people build confidence and skills for the future.

The programme is designed to reach those who may need it most, including older adults, families, carers, people experiencing memory loss and anyone affected by financial hardship. Here’s a look at some of the great community initiatives open to residents this winter:

Vale Youth Service – Hive Guys Project

At its heart, the Hive Guys Project run by Vale Youth Service is a simple, but powerful idea – as it aims to bring young people and older residents together around a shared table.

Each month, young people plan, cook and serve a three-course meal for older community members.

Between technology training, dementia-prevention games, inclusive sports and shared conversations, both generations gain something meaningful. Young people develop leadership and life skills, while older residents enjoy companionship, support and a sense of belonging.

New funding will help extend this work even further through a Men’s 60+ Wellbeing Group aimed at bringing the youth and isolated older men together within a safe, sociable place to meet over a hot drink, some food and an opportunity for real connection.

With Music In Mind CIC  –  Soup and Social at Y Galon, Cowbridge

At Y Galon, With Music In Mind CIC is preparing to launch Soup and Social - a ten-week pilot that blends delicious, warming food with friendly company and wellbeing-focused activities.

The sessions will be free to attend, helping residents manage the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis while reducing loneliness and strengthening community bonds. The project also includes volunteer training and new accessibility improvements, ensuring that everyone feels able to take part.

Penarth Community Group – Community Support

The Penarth Community Group is providing a new warm space, offering hot meals to take home, refreshments, social activities and advice on benefits and energy costs.

The group also hopes to create opportunities for volunteers to play a central role, helping neighbours support one another through the challenges of winter.

CF61 Hub, Llantwit Major

The CF61 Hub in Llantwit Major is home to a number of events and activities that offer residents access to a range of services and practical support, whilst encouraging opportunities for connection and friendship.

As Paul Warren, Operational Manager for Glamorgan Voluntary Services put it: “At the heart of Llantwit Major, CF61 Community Centre offers more than warmth - it’s a place where people connect, share, and support one another.

“The Warm Spaces programme has invigorated the community with free sessions like Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi, Chair-based Pilates, and Tea, Coffee & Puzzles Social Hour - bringing people together in meaningful ways. These welcoming spaces and activities help people of all ages flourish, leaving with a sense of connection, wellbeing, and belonging.

“CF61 has become an integral hub, with the Warm Spaces initiative complementing existing events such as FoodShare, our gardening project, the monthly More Than Food Hub, and regular local group sessions - building a stronger, more connected community.”

Behind each of these ambitious projects lies a shared commitment to ensure that no one in the Vale feels alone, unsupported or without a warm place to go this winter, and none of these services and opportunities would be possible without the incredible hard work and passion of our staff, partners, and residents. 

Places of warmth and connection like the Warm Spaces Network contributes to healthier, happier, and more connected communities across the Vale and in turn demonstrate how we’re putting our values into action by supporting and protecting those who need us – especially during the long winter months.