People who work from home in Wokingham have been encouraged to make use of ‘warm spaces’ in the town.

Councillor Rachel Burgess (Labour, Norreys) visited Wokingham Library inside the new Carnival Hub, near the town centre, to try out the alternative workspace herself.

She said: “As part of my job as an accountant, I actually spend quite a lot of time working at home.

“Because it’s absolutely freezing at the moment, I thought I’d come and try out the library and see what it’s like as a warm space where I could come and work.”

Cllr Burgess said the library has a range of different spaces for people to work, with computers available and individual cubicles where people can bring their laptops.

READ MORE: Safety concerns over Wokingham junction crashes dismissed

The Carnival Hub in Wellington Road, Wokingham, opened in the Summer of 2022, containing a six-lane swimming pool, a 120-station ‘fitness suite’, two studios and spa facilities as well as the library.

Public buildings have been designated warm spaces nationwide since September 2022, when the government announced grant funding to organisations to provide a warm place for people to go amid soaring heating costs.

There are now dozens of warm spaces throughout Wokingham Borough, including all the borough’s nine libraries being classed as warm spaces.

Here are their locations:

  • Carnival Hub, Wellington Road, Wokingham
  • FBC Centre, Gorse Ride North, Finchampstead,
  • Arborfield Green Community Centre, off Princess Marina Drive, Arborfield
  • Twyford Library, Polehampton Close, Twyford
  • Wargrave Library, Woodclyffe Hostel, Church Street, Wargrave
  • Winnersh Library, The Forest School, Robin Hood Lane, Winnersh
  • Lower Earley Library, Chalfont Close, Chalfont Way, Lower Earley
  • Woodley Library, Headley Road, Woodley
  • Spencers Wood Library, Basingstoke Road, Spencers Wood

The borough’s three leisure centres, St Crispins in Wokingham, Loddon Valley in Lower Earley and Bulmershe in Woodley are all warm spaces as well.

A number of churches and cafes have registered as warm spaces available at different times during the week and organisations can sign up buildings to become warm spaces if they follow set criteria.

A building can be nominated by emailing warmspaces@wokingham.gov.uk .

You can find out more by visiting the council's warm spaces webpage.

Operators of these spaces have been told to fulfil Wokingham Borough Council’s ‘warm space charter’, which lays out five principles they should abide by:

  1. You’ll get a warm welcome as well as warm space
  2. Everyone is treated equally, with dignity and respect
  3. Your warm space will be a safe space
  4. We’ll not tell anyone about you needing a warm space
  5. It doesn’t matter why you need a warm space

Cllr Burgess visited Carnival Hub on Wednesday, January 18.