OVER 1,200 hot drinks have been enjoyed in the last two months by Rhyl library visitors as part of a cost-of-living scheme to help people keep warm during the chilly winter months.
The scheme, Croeso Cynnes, offers warm places where people can go in North Wales at a time when energy bills are rising and temperatures dropping.
Denbighshire is one of six counties taking part and has revealed that visitors dropping in at Rhyl Library have used 400 tea bags and 800 sachets of coffee since mid-November.
Rhyl is one of eight Denbighshire libraries offering warm rooms and hot drinks and has two tea stations where visitors can make themselves a coffee whilst keeping warm.
Debbie Owen, the library manager, said: “We started offering people refreshments in mid-November, and since then we’ve gone through about 400 tea bags and 800 sachets of coffee.
“We welcome people to come and make their own hot drinks and linger in the library, whether they want to read a book, use a computer, or do some studying or whatever they like to do.”
Debbie said many older people were making a special visit to the library because their homes weren’t heated.
“We’ve started a craft and chat group in Rhyl library on Friday mornings. It is a free session that people can turn up to,” she said.
“People can do simple crafts like pebble painting. It’s mainly ladies who have been coming along to it.
“They enjoy the chance to meet up, reminisce about the old days, and get out of their cold houses for a couple of hours, without having to worry about putting the heating on.”
Bethan Hughes is the principal librarian at Denbighshire.
“All our libraries offer a warm welcome,” she said.
“It is something libraries have always done. We’ve added the hot drink element this year. It is somewhere they are very welcome to spend some time whether they need to keep warm or not.”
Cllr Emrys Wynne is the lead member for Welsh language, culture, and heritage and added: “People can go to the library, pick up a book, pick up a jigsaw, or they can sit down and read the newspaper and have a cup of tea and know they will be able to have a warm space.”
