BCP Council has said more ‘warm banks’ will be set up across the conurbation as people battle the cost of living crisis.

A warm bank is a safe place for people to go and stay warm free-of-charge.

It follows the announcement Rossmore Leisure Centre in Parkstone, Poole, is set to launch the first ‘warm places’ venue in the area when it opens in the first week of October.

READ MORE: First 'warm bank' is set up in BCP as fears grow over winter cost of living crisis

A BCP Council spokesperson said: “As the nation faces increases in the cost of living, we’re proactively looking at how we can support our residents this winter.

"We are working at pace with partners to develop a network of ‘warm welcome’ spaces across the BCP area at various locations to support our most vulnerable residents.

“It is great to see Rossmore Leisure Centre stepping forward to be a part of these proposals.

“We hope to provide more information and details on the proposals across BCP later this month while we wait for the national Government to confirm the arrangements for the autumn/winter grant Household Support Fund.”

As previously reported, Councillor Sean Gabriel is involved with the management of Rossmore Leisure Centre.

Bournemouth Echo:

He said: “Particularly in the winter it is going to be challenging for some people so it’s somewhere that they can come and feel safe and feel warm because a lot of our customers say they feel safe at Rossmore.

“We wanted to make sure that if they wanted to come and spend a day with us, obviously we've got the coffee shop open but we’ve had lots of donations so we're going to set up a small library, scrabble and chess sets.

“People can spend the day they can charge their phones, we've got free internet access as well, during the day.

“We’re not as busy as we are late afternoon/early evenings so I thought that might be quite nice for some people, especially if some people are feeling quite lonely they can come here and meet new friends.

“It's a free of charge offer to just come in and spend time with us, safe and warm.”

Open hours for the warm place will be the same as the leisure centre.

To view leisure centre opening hours, visit: https://www.everyoneactive.com/centre/everyone-active-leisure-centre-rossmore/

For the latest update on the Household Support Fund in BCP, visit: https://www.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/news-article.aspx?title=2.6-million-boost-to-household-support-fund-to-help-residents-across-bournemouth-christchurch-and-poole