Winter Activities Fund 2026

Barking & Dagenham continues to experience some of the highest levels of deprivation, child poverty and financial hardship in London. Many residents face challenges associated with rising living costs, fuel poverty, food insecurity, loneliness, poor mental wellbeing and barriers to employment.

The Warm Spaces & Winter Activities Programme has become a well-established borough-wide initiative that provides welcoming community spaces, practical support and opportunities for residents to connect during the winter months. Previous delivery has demonstrated positive outcomes including reducing isolation, improving wellbeing, increasing access to support services and strengthening community resilience

This year, we aim to continue and expand the Winter Activities Programme to provide creative, social, and practical support across the borough and welcoming groups to increase their capacity to offer access to support services where possible.

What is a Warm Space?

Warm Spaces are relaxed places where anyone is welcome, they are inclusive and accessible for anyone and provide a local neighbourhood space to spend the day. They are friendly spaces that offer a little some extra for people to enjoy during the day, this could be a space that offers arts and crafts, board games, toddler zones or place spaces, knitting and crochet, computers, wifi access and snacks and refreshments. It’s a space where visitors can come and go as they please with no need to pre-book and free access.

As part of Barking & Dagenham’s Warm Space and Winter Activities Programme, we’re expanding our support to help organisations deliver community-led winter activities from October 2025 to March 2026. The programme is designed to be flexible and responsive to local needs, with a focus on creativity, connection, and care.

What we are looking for

We’re inviting VCFSE organisations to apply for funding to run Warm Spaces that:

  • Are open-access, inclusive, and free to attend
  • Provide a minimum of 2 hours of activity per week
  • Include refreshments and a warm, safe environment
  • Offer creative and social activities that bring people together
  • Provide practical support such as referrals, cost-of-living help, and access to health services
  • Engage vulnerable groups including older adults, lone parents, care leavers, and NEET youth

Delivery Requirements

  • Minimum of 2 hours of activity per week
  • Sessions must be free, open-access, and non-bookable
  • Must include refreshments and warm space access that is accessible and inclusive to everyone.
  • Evidence of attendance, outcomes, and impact required

Timeline:

  • Deadline : Friday 16th October 2026
  • Decisions made and funds appointed: week commencing 26th October 2025
  • Programme delivery spans November to March
  • Evidence and Reporting in March and April 2026

Identifying and Supporting Key Populations

  • Increase outreach and community engagement with vulnerable groups in our communities.
  • It is not a requirement to target key populations; however, we would recommend activities to reach these groups and encourage them to connect and participate where possible, as they have been identified as most vulnerable.
  • Key target groups include;
  • Older people, or those who are potentially isolated/lonely
  • Lone parents
  • Large Families (3+ Children)
  • Families with Young Children (0-5)
  • People with Disabilities/Long-Term Ill Health
  • Care Leavers
  • Young People with Mental Ill Health and NEET
  • Click here for more information

Size of grants available:

Up to £15,000 is available per organisation.

Funding can be used for both capital (e.g. equipment, decor, refreshments) and revenue costs (e.g. heating bills, volunteer expenses).

Hours of Activity per Week

Total Hours (Dec – Mar)

Estimated Funding Request

4 hours/week

64 hours

£3,840

8 hours/week

128 hours

£7,680

12 hours/week

192 hours

£11,520

15 hours/week

240 hours

£14,400


Eligibility Criteria

To apply you must have:

  • Be a community, voluntary, faith, or not-for-profit group operating in Barking & Dagenham
  • Have a written governing document
  • Have at least three unrelated board members
  • Hold a bank account with two unrelated signatories
  • Operate from a community space open at least 4 hours per week
  • Have a lease or management agreement, or evidence to show permission for use of the space

If you don’t meet these criteria, you may partner with an umbrella organisation.

If you are an Umbrella Organisations

If you are an umbrella organisation that is supporting a smaller group, you will be able to apply twice in one round, one on behalf of the organisation and also for your own organisation. Please outline this clearly when making an application. Also, please note that any umbrella organisation will therefore take responsibility in reporting back and complying due diligence for the expenditure.


What happens when we become a “Warm Space”?

Organisations in receipt of funding will be required to link in with the Cost-of-Living Alliance locality partners in their area. In addition to this:

  • Your details will be added to our interactive map of Warm Spaces, so people can find their nearest location should they need to access a Warm Space.

  • Be expected to collect and submit attendance and impact data


Is there anything else we should know before applying?

The council needs to ensure that there is a good geographic spread of Warm Spaces across the borough, therefore should there already be a good allocation of Warm Spaces in your area, we may choose to award funding to other organisations to cover areas where there is a poor geographic spread.

What if I want to offer more as part of my Warm Space?

For organisations that wish to expand their Winter Activities offer and have their Warm Space as Resilience Hubs offering Practical support. To be eligible for additional support, groups would evidence tangible outcomes to the following Strategic Objectives, and/or working with a target group of people.

  • Reducing the cost of essentials
  • Income security and financial resilience
  • Employment, skills and volunteering
  • Children and young people
  • Community participation

Please see the CRF Guidance page for more information

How to apply for the fund

To submit an application please complete the application form online below,

or by downloading and completing the application form by clicking here;

If you have any questions before making an application, please email zoe.christodoulou@lbbd.gov.uk

Barking & Dagenham continues to experience some of the highest levels of deprivation, child poverty and financial hardship in London. Many residents face challenges associated with rising living costs, fuel poverty, food insecurity, loneliness, poor mental wellbeing and barriers to employment.

The Warm Spaces & Winter Activities Programme has become a well-established borough-wide initiative that provides welcoming community spaces, practical support and opportunities for residents to connect during the winter months. Previous delivery has demonstrated positive outcomes including reducing isolation, improving wellbeing, increasing access to support services and strengthening community resilience

This year, we aim to continue and expand the Winter Activities Programme to provide creative, social, and practical support across the borough and welcoming groups to increase their capacity to offer access to support services where possible.

What is a Warm Space?

Warm Spaces are relaxed places where anyone is welcome, they are inclusive and accessible for anyone and provide a local neighbourhood space to spend the day. They are friendly spaces that offer a little some extra for people to enjoy during the day, this could be a space that offers arts and crafts, board games, toddler zones or place spaces, knitting and crochet, computers, wifi access and snacks and refreshments. It’s a space where visitors can come and go as they please with no need to pre-book and free access.

As part of Barking & Dagenham’s Warm Space and Winter Activities Programme, we’re expanding our support to help organisations deliver community-led winter activities from October 2025 to March 2026. The programme is designed to be flexible and responsive to local needs, with a focus on creativity, connection, and care.

What we are looking for

We’re inviting VCFSE organisations to apply for funding to run Warm Spaces that:

  • Are open-access, inclusive, and free to attend
  • Provide a minimum of 2 hours of activity per week
  • Include refreshments and a warm, safe environment
  • Offer creative and social activities that bring people together
  • Provide practical support such as referrals, cost-of-living help, and access to health services
  • Engage vulnerable groups including older adults, lone parents, care leavers, and NEET youth

Delivery Requirements

  • Minimum of 2 hours of activity per week
  • Sessions must be free, open-access, and non-bookable
  • Must include refreshments and warm space access that is accessible and inclusive to everyone.
  • Evidence of attendance, outcomes, and impact required

Timeline:

  • Deadline : Friday 16th October 2026
  • Decisions made and funds appointed: week commencing 26th October 2025
  • Programme delivery spans November to March
  • Evidence and Reporting in March and April 2026

Identifying and Supporting Key Populations

  • Increase outreach and community engagement with vulnerable groups in our communities.
  • It is not a requirement to target key populations; however, we would recommend activities to reach these groups and encourage them to connect and participate where possible, as they have been identified as most vulnerable.
  • Key target groups include;
  • Older people, or those who are potentially isolated/lonely
  • Lone parents
  • Large Families (3+ Children)
  • Families with Young Children (0-5)
  • People with Disabilities/Long-Term Ill Health
  • Care Leavers
  • Young People with Mental Ill Health and NEET
  • Click here for more information

Size of grants available:

Up to £15,000 is available per organisation.

Funding can be used for both capital (e.g. equipment, decor, refreshments) and revenue costs (e.g. heating bills, volunteer expenses).

Hours of Activity per Week

Total Hours (Dec – Mar)

Estimated Funding Request

4 hours/week

64 hours

£3,840

8 hours/week

128 hours

£7,680

12 hours/week

192 hours

£11,520

15 hours/week

240 hours

£14,400


Eligibility Criteria

To apply you must have:

  • Be a community, voluntary, faith, or not-for-profit group operating in Barking & Dagenham
  • Have a written governing document
  • Have at least three unrelated board members
  • Hold a bank account with two unrelated signatories
  • Operate from a community space open at least 4 hours per week
  • Have a lease or management agreement, or evidence to show permission for use of the space

If you don’t meet these criteria, you may partner with an umbrella organisation.

If you are an Umbrella Organisations

If you are an umbrella organisation that is supporting a smaller group, you will be able to apply twice in one round, one on behalf of the organisation and also for your own organisation. Please outline this clearly when making an application. Also, please note that any umbrella organisation will therefore take responsibility in reporting back and complying due diligence for the expenditure.


What happens when we become a “Warm Space”?

Organisations in receipt of funding will be required to link in with the Cost-of-Living Alliance locality partners in their area. In addition to this:

  • Your details will be added to our interactive map of Warm Spaces, so people can find their nearest location should they need to access a Warm Space.

  • Be expected to collect and submit attendance and impact data


Is there anything else we should know before applying?

The council needs to ensure that there is a good geographic spread of Warm Spaces across the borough, therefore should there already be a good allocation of Warm Spaces in your area, we may choose to award funding to other organisations to cover areas where there is a poor geographic spread.

What if I want to offer more as part of my Warm Space?

For organisations that wish to expand their Winter Activities offer and have their Warm Space as Resilience Hubs offering Practical support. To be eligible for additional support, groups would evidence tangible outcomes to the following Strategic Objectives, and/or working with a target group of people.

  • Reducing the cost of essentials
  • Income security and financial resilience
  • Employment, skills and volunteering
  • Children and young people
  • Community participation

Please see the CRF Guidance page for more information

How to apply for the fund

To submit an application please complete the application form online below,

or by downloading and completing the application form by clicking here;

If you have any questions before making an application, please email zoe.christodoulou@lbbd.gov.uk

Page last updated: 15 Sep 2026, 02:03 PM