Warm Spaces Listening Exercise and Conference Attendance

TCC carried out a series of listening exercises with both its member groups and other community groups within North East Wales between April and June of 2023 on the subject of warm homes and warm spaces.   The aim of the listening exercise was to hear of people’ s lived experiences of Warm spaces and the difficulties that people faced in keeping their homes warm through the cold months of the year.  This inevitably led to many discussions concerning the cost of living crisis and how people were facing difficulties in paying for their fuel costs and the decisions that people faced in either choosing food or heating.

One of the groups that took part in the listening exercise was a men’s group at Caia Park Partnership who are one of TCC’s member group in Wrexham who felt strongly of the injustice they and their community felt and wanted to play an active role in ensuring  decision makers heard the lived experiences of communities in this matter.

The listening exercise was part of a series of UK wide listening exercise organised by the Good Faith Project and funded by the Civic Power Fund under the title of ‘Warm Welcome’ in order to inform decision makers in government of people’s lived experiences and these experiences were reported back at a conference in July 2023 in Birmingham.

Two members aged under 30 attended the  ‘Warm Welcome’ conference and with the support of TCC they were able to share their lived experiences as well as giving examples of the extreme difficulties that their family, peers and friends were facing in their community.  The conference also gave an opportunity to take party in meaningful discussions with other organisations who were involved in the listening exercises throughout the United Kingdom.