At Warm Welcome we support the community, including lonely people and those suffering from mental health.
Our group has a mixed range of ages from as young as late 40s, up to 80+. This is nice as everyone brings something different to our group.
We offer a wide range of activities from adult colouring, Quiz books, like sudoku etc. Craft, an ongoing puzzle board, cards and board games are all on the table and enjoyed by many. Most weeks we have chair exercise.
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What our Crafters did in February and March 2025
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Just a few of our Christmas 2024 activities at Warm Welcome.
We had a very busy few weeks leading up to Christmas.
Many of our guest got involved with knitting our great Nativity Scene which was then displayed throughout the whole of December on the stage in this hall.
We also decorated a Christmas tree and hung hand knitted Angels or stars on the tree in memory of a person or persons that had gone from sight that we wanted to remember at Christmas time. Each put a message or name on their Angel or star. They took them home the last Friday before Christmas to hang on their own trees.
We painted wooden door hangers and glass painted Christmas Sun Catchers to hang in our windows just in case there was a bit of sun passing by.
The last Friday in November Alan and Chris Meakin came in and demonstrated how to make a fresh door wreath to hang on our front doors or a table decoration for the centre of our tables. Each took a do-it-yourself kit home so they could make their own. Ros pulled the lucky ticket and won Allan’s beautiful door wreath.
The 8th. December Mrs Beswick brought about 30 children from St Johns School to sing Christmas carols to us. After singing to us the children came into the hall to chat to us all. A lovely morning was had by all.
Then on the 13th. we had a lovely morning having Christmas fun including chair keep fit with a difference before tucking into a wonderful Buffett Lunch.
On the 20th the last meeting before Christmas we had Mr Derry Pope a professional singer and entertainer who came and entertained us with his beautiful singing voice. His voice was so powerful that he was most probably heard a few miles away. Everyone who heard him has requested that we have him back this year. Defiantly will.
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Warm Welcome September 13th
Bumper attendance at Warm Welcome this morning with 40 guests all having fun. If you can spare a few hours on a Friday morning we are still looking for help. If you have some time to spare, we would love to see you. They are all a very lovely group of people. 9.30 to 12.30
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Warm Welcome Summer Update July 2024
Summer crept in by the back door this year, a bit soggy and very slow but now the sun is shining and we are opening windows trying to ensure that our room is cool enough to sit in but the welcome is still very warm.
Friday by Friday a group of willing volunteers pitch up at the church hall and set up for welcoming our friends. It is such a joy to see familiar faces week by week and welcome new ones, making sure everyone feels loved and valued.
Tea, coffee and delicious homemade cake, lovingly baked by Patsy, are provided through the morning, sustaining the activities and the laughter and the chatter.
To celebrate summer, cricket and tennis we had a cream tea. I know it’s a morning group but to my mind homemade, scones, jam and clotted cream plus strawberries are welcome any time of the day. Yummy.
It was fun to have a floor show– floor? NO! it was a scaffold show. The scaffolders putting up the scaffolding for the solar panels provided amusement and interest in their antics on the roof. However for all the disruption and distraction we will be very grateful come the cold weather when the sun’s rays outside are captured to enable us to have cheaper heat inside.
Although we are not a craft group there is always something crafty to do and we are especially grateful to Luba, one of our regulars, for working with us to make a rose bud heart. The finished article can be seen on our notice board.
A very popular activity is the jigsaw puzzle which usually attracts interest like bees around a honeypot. The puzzles seem fiendishly difficult nonetheless eventually they get finished, although it may take a few weeks.
Mah Jong is becoming increasingly popular. Wendy teaches us and I for one am very slow apparently in its native China the Chinese people play very fast. If not Mah Jong, then Whist is another very popular game on a Friday morning attracting quite a few men to demonstrate their card skills.
A highlight at the end of the morning is to be able to join with a seated exercise session under the watchful eye of Wendy. Testing our listening skills and coordination provides much laughter especially when we play ‘Wendy says’ which is a take on the children’s game ‘Simon says’
The time passes so quickly and with new friendships made. When the hall empties. The volunteers pack up and we too wend our way home.
A much-loved hymn based on Isaiah 56:7 that celebrates the diversity and unity of God’s people has a chorus that goes
All are welcome, All are welcome in this space. by Marty Haugen 1964
This must surely be our anthem.
Being fairly new to the church I have made friends while volunteering for Warm Welcome. If you would like to join us as a volunteer, we have a rota, you would be most welcome. Remember
‘ All are Welcome’
Written by Diane Kearsey
Contact Patsy for more details about Warm Welcome on mopsypatsy@icloud.com
Update of Warm Welcome Headlines into Hearts
War, floods, famine, wonky politicians, those were the newspaper headlines shouting out at us at Warm Welcome last Friday. But the papers were not on the table for us to read and be dismayed. As the morning progressed those newspapers and their gruesome headlines were transformed into beautiful hearts. Thanks to the skills of Luba who patiently coaxed and encouraged us. First thing was to shape a heart from wire, after which we rolled the newspaper into slender straws which we then wove around our wire shaped heart. It was exciting to watch as the hearts began to take shape, even those of us who were convinced they couldn’t do it surprised themselves. The headlines disappeared into hearts.
What a joy to see the beautiful creations, what a joy to sit together in a warm welcoming space to chat about sweethearts, Valentines Leap Year and a myriad other topics all the while sipping coffee and eating homemade cake.
If making hearts wasn’t your thing there was the opportunity to have a go at finishing the fiendishly difficult jigsaw or join in the card game or just sit in the warmth and contemplate. There is something for everyone at Warm Welcome and you are all welcome.
Diane Kearsey
Warm Welcome Newsletter.
You have probably noticed that we have changed our name from Warm Space to Warm Welcome. As our group has grown and evolved, we have found other groups who have also changed their names to Warm Welcome. The name change reflects our work supporting the community, including those who are lonely people and those suffering from mental health rather than people needing heat and warmth.
Our group has a mixed range of ages from as young as late 40 right up to 80 plus. This is nice as everyone brings something different to our group. Mostly ladies but lately has seen an increase in men attending which is BRILLIANT!
We offer a wide range of activities from adult colouring, Quiz books, sudoku etc. Craft, an ongoing puzzle board, cards and board games this the men appear to love with a few ladies who regularly join in. Luba a Russian lady has been coming in and teaching those interested a game of Russian cards called ‘You Fool’ she brings with her a Ukrainian lady who she interprets for.
Or some just sit and have a chat or read the daily and/or weekly Newspapers. Some of the ladies bring along their own knitting or Crochet
One of our members offers Chair exercises some weeks. This is great fun and very popular.
They enjoy a piece of homemade cake most weeks with their tea/coffee as well as biscuits always on offer.
The month of December was great fun with Pass the Parcel with a twist that caused a bit of hilarity. We had a Christmas cake with a difference. It was Christmas cake decorated half in Blue as it was John’s Birthday on the 22nd and the other half was Pink as Christine one of our regular visitors who has been with us since the start of the group back last January 2023 it was her 80th
We also did some napkin folding, made a Father Christmas on a stick, a Christmas tree out of an old book pages. As well as other things. Not forgetting the chair exercise with pass the parcel holding forfeits for everyone to join in with and the odd prize.
Our minister John Banks has popped in a couple of times and stayed for most of our last meeting before Christmas. This is lovely as if gives people the chance to meet John. It’s also nice when Church members pop in for a cuppa and a chat with our guests joining in with what’s going on.
We got a Grant of £300 from SMRIN to cover the cost of the Church heating. We were also very Lucky and received a Grant of £1,000 also from SMRIN to help with the cost craft materials for the next year.
If anyone knows of anyone who would come along and share their craft with us, we would love to hear from you. We would be happy to pay for materials. Our group put together a Reverse Advent Calendar between them each bringing in one or two items. They all enjoyed taking part in this.
SMRIN gave us £250 to put together another 5 boxes from them. John and I managed to do the five boxes with money to spare so we were able to fill to overflowing the food bank box that in the Church vestibule.
Warm Welcome has grown from the early days of 3 to 7 people each week to 28 and counting. We have moved into the hall so we can move around better.
As we have grown in size, we are now in desperate need of more help each week as we cannot turn people away from a Warm Welcome group. We need help to set up and pack up, to carry chairs and tables etc. We are of the older age and suffering with back problems, so this isn’t an easy task. You would need to be at the hall by 9.00am prompt. Packing up no earlier or later than 12.30. We need more help to serve tea/coffee cake etc. to wash up during the morning to make sure clean cups are provided ongoing throughout the morning. Also, people to chat to our guests.
Thank you to the helpers that we have on our rota and those who come to help most weeks. We could not do this without your ongoing help.
This is an amazing group. We love doing this Gods work in our Church but need to feel that we are a team working down here on earth to meet this need.
You have probably noticed that a few of our Warm Welcome people are now attending our Sunday morning worship.
God bless.
Patsy and John
Mortimer Methodist Church 