Shortly before lunchtime in a London community centre, older visitors are chatting over coffee and crosswords as young families drift in and out. Kitchen volunteers from the Real Junk Food Project are preparing lunch at a “pay as you feel” cafe, using food that would otherwise have ended up in the bin.
Conversations inside the Victorian building at the East Twickenham Neighbourhood Association (ETNA) community centre range from financial advice to digital support, via childcare and legal services. There are counselling drop-ins and self-help groups, while down the corridor yoga is about to start. Over the course of the day, it all builds a picture of what community hubs offer local people.
These places are offering financial respite to households, reducing the cost of accessing advice, support, care and essential services.
Jennifer, a guest at the cafe, says she comes to the centre “for the cafe, to meet friends and for company. The food helps me stretch my pension.”
Another visitor says she is grateful to Valentina, who offers help with financial matters: “She found out I was owed a benefit that I was unaware I had a right to claim. It’s been backdated. I am so very grateful.”
At ETNA, meals in the cafe are offered with no minimum payment or set charge, just a donation if people can afford it. Free support services such as Manage Your Money, run in partnership with Citizens Advice, help residents reduce household bills, strengthen their finances and navigate the pressures of the cost of living.
Some provide access to NHS health services, responding to gaps created by fragmented and overstretched public services.
Wide range of needs
“Unlike a repair cafe, or single-purpose venue, ETNA supports a wide range of needs across the community,” says the hub’s director, Vanessa James. “With the rising cost of living, spaces like ETNA can make a real difference.”
At ETNA, organisers work with local charities, support organisations and volunteers to provide a wide range of services. Open 365 days a year, the centre welcomes more than 1,400 people through its doors each week.
“I think people are increasingly drawn to spaces that combine multiple services because they value the ease and comfort of accessing support in one place they already know and trust,” James says.
“There is something very important about having services delivered in a relaxed community setting rather than in isolation,” she adds. “It feels more natural, less clinical and more welcoming.”
Free activities
What is happening in Twickenham is not unique. Across the UK, community hubs are bringing together debt advice, health services, cafes, social activities and practical support under one roof.
They form part of a wider network of about 21,000 community centres and halls across the UK, according to a 2025 report by the thinktank New Local.
More than 50 miles south of Twickenham, in Brighton, people can access the Hangleton and Knoll Project. One of its main bases is the St Richard’s community centre.
On a Monday morning in May, the centre is busy and the building hums with overlapping activity. While some of the residents are hoping to reduce their energy bills, others are seeking health advice, some drop in for lunch. Currently 67 groups run from this multiservice hub. The kettle is always on and their doors are open, with little pressure to explain why you are there.
Ann Tizzard, the manager of St Richard’s community centre, sees the hub as an integral part of the neighbourhood.
“The vision was always to bring everyone together and have multiple services under one roof,” she says. As in London, money seems to be the reason for of a rise in the number of people using the centre.
“Since the Covid lockdown, we have noticed an increase in people coming in during the day. We have people who are worried about the cost of living,” Tizzard says. “Most of our activities are free or low cost.” That said, she adds that how affluent or old people are does not matter when it comes to accessing the services. “Everyone is welcome,” she says.
Back at ETNA, lunch plates are being cleared away as some residents talk through financial concerns and others are in need of practical support. Many appear in no hurry to leave. Bernard Harrison and Eric Ruggier, both 94, are locked in a competitive game of table tennis.
Ruggier, a South African champion in his youth, says he had given up the game for many years before taking it up again at the centre.
“I have had many enjoyable afternoons at ETNA playing table tennis,” he says. “It is a lovely, friendly place and often you are offered tea or coffee or snacks. The staff are all very friendly and helpful.”
As much as people are seeking advice, help and support with everyday challenges, James says, it is clear that they are also looking for places to spend time together, in a space that offers companionship and a sense of belonging.