Volunteer 'more than satisfied' with rise of community hub in Fens
There's currently a waiting list for people to join
As the cold weather continues, a community hub in the Fens continues to thrive.
The Living Room Space at Fenland Association for Community Transport's (FACT) site in March has been running for around three years.
It's where lead volunteer Alice Moss has been able to earn a sense of enjoyment, not just during a cold snap.
"It gives me a lift because I like to ask what they want to do, where they want to go, and if we can get every outing that people want throughout the year, I'm more than satisfied," she said.
Waiting list
The Space is used by around 16 people a week, with 14 users able to go on trips organised by volunteers.
It had been running as a separate service, but works alongside the Cambridgeshire ACRE charity, which has been running a community hub network across the county since 2022.
Alice said there's a waiting list at the FACT Living Room, which runs for 50 weeks of the year.
"We just come and we do it; the people that come, they will tell us what they want to do and we'll facilitate anything that we can," she said.
"As to why it's so successful, I don't know!"
Mix of feelings
Alice said one of the main reasons for people using the Space is to avoid social isolation, where meeting others in person may not be common other than when the Space is open.
It's also about mixing the good times with the more sombre days, too.
"If we come in one morning feeling a bit down, that's pushed to one side and we get on with the day with the group," Alice added.
"Sometimes if we've had someone pass away in the group, we're always respectful.
"When it's birthdays, we all sing happy birthday, we've got a birthday hat they have to put on, so we try to keep everything as upbeat as we can, but we do understand some days might be sad and we respect that as well."