West Lothian Leisure offers local warm spaces

We are delighted to announce the launch of our new warm spaces initiative, offering free-to-access facilities to the local community, many of whom may be struggling to heat their homes this winter due to growing energy bills.

The initiative launched this week (23 January), will welcome the community to seating areas and café spaces at Xcite Bathgate, Linlithgow and Livingston facilities, with members of the public under no obligation to make a purchase or be a WLL member.

Guests are welcome to use the free WIFI, settle down to read or just spend a bit of time chatting with staff. Part of the offering also includes a new ‘Winter Warmer’ lunchtime deal of soup and a roll at a discounted price of £1.50 from 1.30pm - 4.30pm from Monday to Friday, as well as free cup of tea or instant coffee to help people warm up.

Locals keen to support the initiative can also choose to ‘pay it forward’ by buying a Winter Warmer deal for someone in need – which will then be passed on, free of charge, to the next guest who asks for the offer.

Ben Lamb, Chief Executive of West Lothian Leisure, said,

“Opening some of our facilities as warm spaces for the community just made perfect sense.  We too are experiencing increased energy bills to heat our centres, and so we want to make sure that we are supporting our communities during this bitterly cold weather.  Staying warm is fundamental to good health and a positive mental wellbeing, so despite this being a slightly different approach than we might normally take to achieve those outcomes, it is still exactly the type of local action we are all about.   Our warm spaces and Winter Warmer deal will be available  from 23 January, so I’d highly recommend that anyone looking for a warm welcome or a chance to get out of the house as temperatures drop takes advantage by coming along for a visit.” 

We took the decision to introduce warm spaces to the community following the widespread rise in energy bills, which since October has seen average household costs rise to around £2,500, with another rise set to come in April 2023, meaning local warm spaces could make all the difference.   West Lothian Council have a number of other locations across the region which are offering a similar warm welcome.  CLICK HERE for full details.   

If you have been impacted by the current cost-of-living crisis or are needing some extra help with living costs, CLICK HERE for more details on the help that is available in West Lothian.