A WEEKLY warm refuge for Wellington residents which is due to run until the end of next month may need to be extended for the rest of the year.

Wellington Baptist Church was the first in the town to provide the facility when it started the Thursday refuge last October.

This week, the warm refuge marked four months during which the number of people using it has steadily grown.

Baptist minister the Rev Sam Griffiths said a review had been planned for the end of March, but already it was clear that there would be an ongoing need.

Mr Griffiths said: “The times are dire and I cannot see any economic changes really hitting home and the need is going to be there for the foreseeable future.

“To stop the project now, in March, seems too premature and we will have to see how we can formulate the way forward.”

However, Mr Griffiths said not as many people had been using the refuge as the church originally expected and he did not know the reason why that had happened.

Mr Griffiths said the refuge concept might need to be tweaked if it was to continue, such as by reducing the number of meals available from two to one during the spring, and then going back to both lunch and evening food in the autumn.

He said before Christmas the church had seen heavier demand for the evening meal but more recently it had been lunch time which was busier.

Mr Griffiths said another consideration was that running the refuge had been a huge strain on the volunteers who made it possible and they were becoming tired after so many months.

Wellington’s MP Rebecca Pow paid a visit to the refuge last week to talk to some of the people using it and to be briefed by Mr Griffiths.

Ms Pow said: “This is clearly a most welcome warm space in the heart of Wellington for many, whether for a hot meal or simply company.

“The army of volunteers who make this happen are doing a superb job.

“Thank you to those who shared their experiences with me.”

One person attending the refuge during Ms Pow’s visit was Scott Williams, formerly of Weston-super-Mare, who now lives in Wellington.

Mr Williams shared how he had become homeless after the breakdown of his marriage and was helped back on his feet by Church-based services, including the Salvation Army.

He said: “They got me off the street. It does not matter what church or what religion you believe in, it is an opportunity for people who are desperate and need that help.

“Places like this refuge are an essential part of the community, not just for the homeless but elderly people and those who are isolated.”

The Baptist refuge is open on Thursdays from 9.30 am to 7 pm for anybody to use to stay warm and to have a free cooked lunch and supper, charge their mobile phone, read a newspaper, do their knitting, or just sit and chat with others, and for children to do their school homework.

It has been subsidised with a grant from Wellington Town Council.