SWEP - can you help?

Given the changing seasons, SWEP (Severe Winter Emergency Provision) could soon be called, and as YMCA will be running the provision this year, we are reaching out to ask you for your support in helping us find volunteers.

SWEP is an emergency response to extreme weather conditions that can be activated by local authorities at short notice. The trigger indicating severe cold weather provision is a weather forecast predicting three consecutive nights, or more, of a minimum temperature of zero degrees Celsius or lower.

However, CEC have been running SWEP provision for several years and more recently have adopted a more lenient approach to SWEP. Instead of using the actual forecasted temperatures, they have opted to use the “real feel” temperature instead, which has meant us being able to provide accommodation to individuals for greater periods of time and working with those individuals to prevent them having to go back onto to streets.

It is predicted that the cold weather plan will cover the months of November to March inclusive.

It aims to protect people sleeping rough by providing emergency, short-term accommodation or shelter during periods of extreme weather.

At YMCA Cheshire, we will be offering a number of rooms and setting up a communal space to support those in need in one of our buildings at the Valley Brook Campus.

In the past, this initiative has been a great success, with volunteers helping to support the service users and we are hoping to create a volunteer rota for cooking, playing games, and supporting service users in the evenings. If you or members of your congregation/community would like to get involved, we would be very grateful.

For more information or to offer support, please contact me either via this email or

via telephone number: 01270/257673

Thank you for helping us make a difference this winter. Your support can bring warmth and comfort to those who need it most.

Kind Regards,

Laura Sharrock

Volunteer Coordinator

laura.sharrock@ymcacrewe.org.uk