Cost of living: 'My children have no idea we're here to keep warm'

Many people who are struggling to heat their homes and unable to afford trips out are turning to their local libraries for support and warmth this winter.

Alexandra Mitchell, 28, says Chelmsford Library has become her sanctuary. It is one of the only places she can take her two children, aged three and one.

"Having a regular place you know your child can explore and be safe, and be entertained and be warm, is really important," she says.

As a single parent, she cannot afford to take them to a café or to soft play, because everything is "extortionate" at the moment.

Instead, she brings them to the library's free rhyme time session twice a week.

"We will be spending a lot of time here this winter. I can keep them warm here, but they don't know that's why they're here.

"They think they're just having fun. That's very important - children don't need to know their parents are stressed," she says.

Round the corner, in the young adults section, 16-year-old Chizitelu is hanging out with her friends.

The library has not always been seen as the coolest place to visit, but Chizitelu says things are changing.

"We hang out here most days. If you want to do something else it's expensive, unless you go to someone's house," she says.

Chizitelu is studying at a local college and works part-time as a waitress but cannot afford trips out of town, because travel is so expensive.

"Prices to get out of Chelmsford are so high, most of my family live in London but I can't visit them".

For now she says she is happy to spend time with her friends at the library, and they always choose to socialise there rather than in a café.

"There's free wi-fi here and it's a big and warm space. We can bring our food and drink here and it's a calm environment if we want to study," she says.

Chelmsford Library is one of 74 across Essex putting extra support in place to help residents get through the winter.

Adult education provider, ACL Essex, is working with the library to offer free courses on how to save money on energy bills and cooking on a budget.

The library is also putting on extra clubs and activities and is hoping more volunteers will come forward to help run them.

Cathy Lennark, 73, attends a free library craft club and says most people cannot afford to pay for activities any more.

"We get together and we have a good chat and we put the world to rights. It's really important that it remains free, because clubs like this are so good for your mental health," she says.

On the table next door, Suzanne Rooke, 56, is talking to her friends about a novel they have all read as part of a book club they attend at the library.

"We are sitting here in the warm and we have access to refreshments and it's a wonderful facility to have on your doorstep," she says.

Essex County Council deputy leader, Louise McKinlay, says the council realises there will be more need than normal this winter and libraries are well positioned to provide support.

"This is part of £50m of funding that we have set aside, recognising the pressures that people are under and what that can mean for families as we go into the winter months," she says.

"This is a good opportunity for people to see what else the library offers apart from books. I'm hoping people will still take advantage of what these special places can give us, long after the winter is over."

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