Keep Warm, Keep Well in Pembrokeshire programme recognised in national best practise report
Pembrokeshire’s Keep Warm, Keep Well programme of cost of living crisis support has been recognised in a new national best practise report published last month by the Public Health Wales – Wider Determinants of Health Unit. The article features nine examples of recent work related to the cost of living crisis across Wales and the UK. The report is part of the Building a Healthier Wales response to the cost of living crisis in Wales, using a public health approach. This follows the publication of Cost of living crisis in Wales: A public health lens by Public Health Wales and the successful All-Wales Cost of Living summit in March 2023. Attendees at the summit clearly identified that a series of case studies was needed to rapidly share best practice on responding to the cost of living crisis in a sustainable manner. The research question was “how have public bodies and voluntary/community sector organisations impacted on the negative consequences related to the cost of living crisis?”.
Keep Warm Keep Well (KWKW) in Pembrokeshire is a programme of support established in October 2022 for residents of Pembrokeshire during the cost of living crisis. Work took place to connect people to local information, support and services to help them throughout the coldest months of the year. Across Pembrokeshire, communities and organisations responded to the crisis offering a range of local solutions, supported by the programme including Warm Welcome Community Spaces, hot meals, community activities, plus energy, money, and debt advice.
The campaign was led by the Pembrokeshire Community Hub in partnership with Pembrokeshire County Council, Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services (PAVS) and a variety of agencies including Hywel Dda Health Board, Emergency Services, and the Voluntary Sector.
The report highlighted that the programme built off an established multi-agency, cross-sector partnership with a co-ordinating role for the County Voluntary Council for Pembrokeshire (PAVS), partners included the local authority and voluntary/community sector. The Council already had experience of distributing local, regional and national funds when funding came in for work. The use of a single point of contact (the Pembrokeshire Community Hub) and central community warm spaces (with co-location of several solutions) were consistently highlighted as good practice in the All-Wales Cost of Living summit. The report also recognised the significant volunteer involvement which made a crucial difference.
The full report can be accessed here https://publichealthnetwork.cymru/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Cost-of-Living-Case-Studies-V4.pdf
The Pembrokeshire Community Hub continues to be a single point of contact for community support, including cost of living crisis support. Contact the friendly Hub team to find out more: 01437 723660 or enquiries@pembrokeshirecommunityhub.org
