By Kerry Potter, our Group Social Impact and Vulnerability Manager
SGN’s commitment to the communities where we live, work and serve goes far beyond our network. We believe everyone deserves a warm, safe home and no one should feel isolated or forced to choose between heating and other household essentials.
That’s why Warm Welcome Week is so important to us. This wonderful initiative is run by the Warm Welcome Campaign, who also set up the Warm Welcomes Spaces network.
Over the past four years, together with our Safe and Warm partnership network, we’ve supported more than 70,000 visitors across warm spaces in our network areas. These spaces do more than offer immediate warmth and respite. They create connection, dignity and hope, and with the right support, they can also help people address the underlying affordability challenges that brought them there in the first place.
Aligned with this is our Safe and Warm Community Scheme, which has helped us see first-hand the long-term impact that comes from equipping grassroots organisations with the skills and resources they need in energy safeguarding. The legacy this creates from increased confidence in using energy safely, efficiently and affordably, which is why we’re so passionate about continuing this work.
We’re proud to be partnering with Warm Welcome Spaces to bring our learning and support to even more community settings. Together, we’re helping eligible households to:
✔️ Join the Priority Services Register
✔️ Access vital gas and carbon monoxide safety advice
✔️ Receive lifesaving CO alarms where needed
✔️ Take home our keep warm packs
✔️ Connect with partner organisations providing crisis fuel vouchers, benefits guidance and wider support
Warm Welcome Week is intentionally held during one of the hardest times of the year. By coming together, we’re not only helping to chase the January blues away – we’re laying the foundations for lasting impact, while making homes safer and warmer this winter and well beyond.
Last night (Wednesday 21 January), I was honoured to be invited to the Warm Welcome Campaign's Parliamentary reception. Organisations including Pedal Power from Cardiff and Community Kettle in Portsmouth shared their experiences of delivering warm spaces within their communities and the impact they’re having on the lives of people who use these incredible resources – not just addressing immediate needs but also building strong connections that also address loneliness and isolation.
We also heard from Lord Bailey of Paddington, who shared how important partnership investment is into local communities and that by coming together, we're helping people move forward from dependence into independence by providing space, respect and continuity. It was a great opportunity for organisations like SGN to talk to others such as Nicki Johnson from National Grid Energy Distribution, Toby Kipling from UK Power Networks and Matt Copeland from National Energy Action, about how we continue to learn and work together to improve the support around these key community resources to make a greater impact in the future.
I’m incredibly proud of our teams and our community partners for the compassion, care and commitment they show every day. Together, we’re making a difference that truly matters.
