Staying warm and well this winter

Warm Spaces offer safe, welcoming places where you can spend time, meet others, and avoid needing to heat your home for as long.

For a list of registered Warm Spaces, visit Warm Welcome - Find Community Spaces Near You. Go along to socialise or get involved in the activities at these venues and keep warm.

Keeping your home warm and free from damp and mould helps your family stay healthy, safe, and comfortable. It can also help you save money on your heating costs. Simple changes can help keep your home warmer, healthier and cheaper to heat.

The Good Home Lincs Heating and Energy pages have information about:

• Reducing energy use
• Keeping heating costs down
• Managing condensation, damp and mould - Booklet

Whether you are thinking of the day to day actions you can take, or whether you are looking to make big changes, The Energy Efficiency House is an interactive tool that helps people understand how their home can affect their health, safety and energy bills. By exploring different rooms and areas around the home, people can learn about common problems such as damp and mould, poor ventilation, fire risks, draughts, heat loss and high energy use.

Each feature of the house provides simple advice, practical tips and information about possible risks.

Take a look at the Good Home Lincs Energy Efficiency House  Click on a room in the house, or a button under the house, to get started. Click on an item in the rooms to see further information.

The priority services register is a free service that gives extra help to people who may need additional support. It helps energy, gas and water companies support customers with things like bills and important information. It also makes sure people can get the help they need if there is a power cut or a problem with their gas or water supply.

Visit the Priority Services Register information site to find out who can join and how to register.

There are a number of trusted sources that provide advice and information to help you stay healthy during winter, including:

• NHS Winter Health Information
• GOV.UK Winter Advice
• Met Office Health and Wellbeing Guidance   (this links to a page with several topics, including guidance in hot weather)

• Keep warm:  wear warm clothes (wearing layers helps!) keep your home at a temperature comfortable for you (the NHS recommend 18 degrees), especially in the morning and at night
• Eat healthy foods: eat regular meals with lots of fruit and vegetables to help your body stay strong and keep healthy
• Stay active: it’s important to keep moving in winter. Move your body every day: all movement counts, whether it's walking, dancing or doing housework. Moving more can help you stay healthy, keep warm and feel good
• Protect yourself: washing your hands, covering coughs and sneezes, staying at home if you’re unwell, and getting vaccinations you’re offered can help keep you and others healthy
• Look after your wellbeing: stay connected with family, friends and neighbours, make time for activities you enjoy.

We know that staying well in winter isn't always just about putting the heating on. Things like your housing situation, the people around you, and access to wider support can all make a difference.

Information on other services that may be able to help you and your loved ones stay warm, healthy and safe may be found within the community, find support that is local to you and interest groups, activities and events that can help to connect with others:

Directory of services and support

Directory of local activities and events

The Money Talk Lincs  pages have lots on information on managing money and debt, benefits, budgeting, borrowing, saving and much more, including a list of local resources.

If you need support with day to day costs, there’s information on food help and a directory of foodbanks and affordable food. If you have experienced a financial shock, you might also be able to apply to the Crisis and Resilience Fund for support.

Looking after your wellbeing and emotional health is important during winter because shorter days, colder weather and spending more time indoors can sometimes affect how you feel. H.A.Y (How Are You?) Lincolnshire has free online resources to help you take care of your mental health and emotional wellbeing.

You can also find your local Community Wellbeing Hub a great place to visit if you are experiencing mental health and wellbeing challenges, which are supported by Community Connectors