Place of Welcome Registration Form

Creating spaces where people feel safe to connect, belong and contribute A Place of Welcome offers your neighbourhood a place where everyone can go for a friendly face, a cup of tea and a conversation if and when they need it. Places of Welcome are diverse in nature, reflecting the different communities in which they are located, the buildings they use, and the skills, interests and personalities of the people that run and belong to them. All offer an unconditional welcome to local people for at least a few hours a week.
Places of Welcome each commit to uphold 5 values: Place: An accessible and hospitable building, open at the same time every week People: Open to everyone regardless of their circumstances or situation, and staffed by volunteers Presence: A place where people actively listen to one another Provision: Offering free refreshments (at least a cup of tea and a biscuit) and basic local information Participation: Every person will bring talents, experiences and skills that they may be willing to share locally. The 5 P’s were developed by people running Places of Welcome and hold the network together. For this reason they cannot be changed or adapted. If you have any questions about the 5 P’s, please look at https://www.placesofwelcome.org.uk/faq or contact us at info@placesofwelcome.org.uk.

When will you be open?

You should be the main point of contact for your Place of Welcome. We will contact you about Places of Welcome activities. We will process this information to administer your application, and the data you provide will be held in line with UK data protection legislation. You can find out more about how we process personal data by clicking here.

The 5 'P's of Places of Welcome

Places of Welcome are activities that happen in the same place EVERY WEEK.

We understand that there are times during the year (e.g. Christmas or school holidays) when opening might not be possible. We are flexible about those situations but would expect that Places of Welcome are usually open every week.

Places of Welcome are open to EVERYONE regardless of their circumstances and situations.

We understand that sometimes a Place of Welcome might form around or attract a particular age or people group. As a network we understand and are comfortable with this, as long as the Place of Welcome remains open and welcoming to people who are not from the predominant group.

We understand that there are participants who want to show their appreciation for the hospitality you offer and you may choose to use an unobtrusive donation bowl, but there mustn’t be any pressure on participants to donate.

Places of Welcome recognise that every person has valuable skills, talents, & experiences, and can therefore contribute and participate either in the Place of Welcome or in the wider community, should they want to.

Can you tell us how you plan to encourage new people to PARTICIPATE and what kind of ways they might be able to get involved and use their skills? This could mean anything from helping with teas and coffees or saying hello to new participants, to starting craft classes.

The safety of volunteers and participants is our primary concern. This is the responsibility of each venue.

We advise that each venue has:

• Public Liability Insurance

• a risk assessment

• an awareness of safeguarding, preferably operating under the host organisation’s safeguarding policy, so that the co-ordinator and key volunteers are aware of their responsibilities

I have read and understood the 5 values of the Places of Welcome network and our Place of Welcome agrees to enact the 5 values to the best of our ability.

I understand that the running of our Place of Welcome is our responsibility, including responsibility for participants’ health, wellbeing and safety, and I confirm that we will seek and follow appropriate advice on creating a safe space.

I understand that, by submitting this Places of Welcome Membership Request Form, Places of Welcome will use any personal data I have provided to assess this membership request and determine our eligibility to join the Places of Welcome network according to its Data Protection Policy and Privacy Notice.

I will inform Places of Welcome of any changes to the information recorded in this application, including all changes to contact details and the closure of our Place of Welcome.

Joining the network means that I will receive regular emails from Places of Welcome which will include resources, invitations to events, inspiring stories from the network and other useful information.