While council buildings and therefore many Warm Spaces were shut during the festive break, there was still a place to go for anyone who wanted somewhere warm to go for company and food thanks to local Reece Lambert, who recently opened his own café in the city, and with the help of council funding.

After opening in September, Reece Lambert, 27, who owns Reece’s Café in Old Heath Road, Eastfield, opened up his doors to 20 people between noon and 4pm on Christmas Day (Sunday 25 December) to provide free food and refreshments for anyone coming along to the café, as well as personally delivering meals locally for anyone who called him if they were unable to get there.

Reece said: “When I opened my café, I wanted to use it as an opportunity to do some good in the local community and I wasn’t doing anything else on Christmas Day – it seemed like the perfect opportunity to help. I wanted to give anyone who needed it somewhere to go, whether they were lonely, homeless, vulnerable, whatever. 

As well as receiving council funding, Reece also set up an online fundraiser to help contribute towards the costs. 

Reece said: “I’d like to the City of Wolverhampton Council for their support in helping this to happen as well as anyone who donated in any way towards making Christmas Day better for around 40 people. They included a delivery to an elderly gentleman who wasn’t able to come to the café and to the local hostel. The messages of thanks I’ve received has been great and I was pleased to be able to do it.”

Details on support available are at Warm Spaces | City Of Wolverhampton Council.