Yorkshire bakery opens 'warm room' above his oven to help people stay warm during winter

Kind-hearted Ed Hamilton-Trewhitt has opened the room at Brickyard Bakery in Guisborough, to host chilly visitors in the room above his bread oven.

It was previously empty, despite being constantly heated by the old-fashioned oven which costs £2,000 a month to run.

The 55-year-old said: "I got the idea from listening to the news about energy poverty and the problems that people are really sort of facing at the moment. It seemed like a no brainer because I run a very large, old fashioned bread oven and I now pay twice as much as I was six months ago for the energy.

"It's costing me £2,000 to just use the bread oven and the opportunity to get a second use out of it might not bring cash into the business, but it can bring some use to people. It seemed like a no brainer really because I've got a nice, warm space and people are desperate to have a nice, warm space."

Generous Ed said he was moved to action when haring tales of elderly customers that have taken to travelling around on buses using their bus pass to keep warm. Visitors to the warm room can enjoy a hot cup of tea, read a book or do a jigsaw in the knowledge that no-one is judging them.

He added: "It's a terrible situation, and we can offer them somewhere where they know it's genuine and they can do whatever such as reading a book, or doing a jigsaw, or having a cup of tea. They know nobody is going to charge them or look at them funny, nobody is policing whose there, all we do is make sure that the space is nice and clean and we keep the tea and coffee stocked up for them."

Churches are also opening their doors to cash-strapped families as the cost of living crisis worsens.

Pudsey Parish Church in Leeds, will show films, provide hot drinks and board games and allow people to work remotely at the church, using their free wifi.