Organisations across Northern Ireland have been stepping up to help those struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and Co Down has been no different.
St John's Moira and The Beacon in Newtownards are among thousands of charitable organisations, businesses and churches that have signed up to the "Warm Welcome" campaign.
On certain days of the week, they're both offering a warm space where those struggling with heating or other costs can come to meet up with others and chat.
Read more: Belfast Council offering 'Warm Spaces' for older people in community centres
Reverend Joanne Megarrell is the rector of St John's and said they felt the need to reach out to those struggling.
"Basically whenever the cost of living crisis hit, we were trying to think what could we do to help people who were struggling," she said.
"Not only that but we didn't want to label it as something that was for people who were struggling, because we thought that might not entice them to come in.
"So we have broadened it out to anyone within the church who wants to come, it means that people who maybe are struggling a bit aren't singled out and can come in that they're engaging simply with company and family."
The initiative has been running since mid-November and the church is open from 9.30am-12.30pm on Wednesdays, 6pm-7pm on Fridays and 9am-12pm on Saturday.
On Friday nights, those calling in can get served a free meal.
"We do it on a Friday evening simply because we reckon that people are tired then and maybe funds are running low, so that was the thinking there," Rev Megarrell added.
"We get people to sign up via a website on the Wednesday of the week so we have a rough idea and we obviously have a bit more then on the Friday night, in case someone walks in without having got in touch.
"It varies from week to week in terms of how busy it is, but we've been pleased to see that some people have come in just from word of mouth."
Rev Megarrell said while the cost-of-living crisis was awful for people to have to endure, it was a chance for faith-based organisations and charitably-minded people to help.
"We welcome anyone to come in the door, this is what it's all about," she said.
"Our faith absolutely dictates that we welcome the stranger, that we would welcome anyone in and we very much see it as a means of outreach to people who need a bit of hope at this time.
"We see it as kind of God's love in action and we want to be practical at times with folk and do whatever we can to help.
"All of what we do is voluntary as well and we've got some brilliant volunteers that we simply wouldn't be able to operate without."
Meanwhile, at The Beacon in Newtownards, Andy Shanks has been overseeing a coffee morning on Tuesday and Saturday mornings, both from 10am-12pm.
Andy is a trustee at the hub, which was formed in an old church building when the church shut down.
"It's an old church building, the church closed down about three years ago, so we started The Beacon in March of this year, by doing a monthly Saturday coffee morning and a weekly Tuesday coffee morning," he said.
"Then that has developed into a walking group on a Tuesday night where they can get a tea and coffee in the building after, a Men's Cave on a Friday morning and a Ladies Night once a month.
"So we had the building open, the heat was on and everything we provide refreshment-wise is free of charge anyway with the purpose of trying to help the local community."
Andy said they were already looking for ways to help people, when they saw the Warm Welcome campaign, which was collating places where people could go for warmth and company each week.
"We became aware of the Warm Welcome campaign and it fitted into what we were doing," he said.
"On Tuesday morning for our coffee morning, we would average about 25 people.
"That could be anyone from a young mum coming in with children to retired people, elderly people, people who are lonely, people that just come in for a chat, to catch up with friends and make friends, so it's been well-received.
"You've got the cost-of-living crisis and even a post-Covid crisis, where there's a lot of lonely people and a lot of people worried about different things coming into winter-time."
He said he believed that people were already seeing the benefit of coming in to the coffee mornings, in terms of being able to leave behind their stresses if even for a short while.
"To have a warm, welcome environment for people to come into will hopefully ease some of that pressure both financially and materially but also emotionally for people," he said.
"You keep your ear to the ground in conversation with people.
"It's the kind of environment where we want to respect everyone's dignity obviously, but also if they open up to us and share some of those concerns, we're that listening ear and hopefully it helps people and we do get that sense."
David Barclay, The Warm Welcome Campaign Manager says, “It’s unacceptable that people are facing the decision to heat their home or eat, but the response of civil society in opening thousands of Warm Welcome Spaces gives us cause for hope.
"The Warm Welcome Campaign is a community response to the cost-of-living crisis. The campaign is determined to equip and support thousands of free, warm, and welcoming spaces in communities across the UK.
"At the start of October, we had 350 open spaces, we now have 2,698 live on the map so that’s 2,348 new open spaces in the last two months.
"The response has shown just how strongly community organisations want to help the estimated seven million people who will be in fuel poverty this winter.”
For a full list of locations registered with the Warm Welcome campaign in Northern Ireland, you can click here.
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