Bothwell Winter Warmers+ Community Project

That the Parliament welcomes the Bothwell Winter Warmer+ community project, which is a grassroots collaborative based in and around the village’s stunning Bothwell Parish Church and involving all three village churches, Bothwell Parish Church, St Bride’s RC Church and Bothwell Evangelical Church, working alongside community organisation, Bothwell Futures; acknowledges that the core of the project is the opening of historic Bothwell Parish Church four days each week, and St Brides RC Church on Wednesdays, as warm spaces, offering free tea, coffee and meals; understands that, while the Winter Warmer+ project was initially set up as a way to help local people cope with soaring energy costs and other increasing household bills, it has rapidly transformed into so much more, with Bothwell Parish Church now offering a series of programmed activities, which, it believes, are helping Bothwell reduce social isolation, support improved mental health and strengthen community cohesion; recognises that activities and events integrated into the project now include curry and pasta nights, with meals produced and supplied either free or at cost by participating local restaurants, as well as weekly knitting "natters", craft-making, games and family entertainment, with more than 400 people supported to date; notes that a temporary building has also been generously donated and located adjacent to Bothwell Parish Church to provide a community larder offering any individual or family free access to food and toiletry essentials; understands that the Winter Warmer+ community project is being driven by a band of energised, local volunteers, with volunteer numbers increasing to more than 80 since the project launched on 3 October 2022, and is being funded by generous donations from local people and businesses, as well as small grants, and wishes everyone involved with the Winter Warmers+ community project every success with what it sees as their important and imaginative initiative that is offering a stigma-free helping hand to those that need it.