Warm hubs could be set up over the winter period to help those who may be struggling.

Arbory and Rushen Commissioners want to set them up to take pressure off people during the colder months as the cost of living continues to rise.

They’ll start next month and run until February next year.

Commissioners chair Jane Glover explained what prompted the idea.

She said: ‘We were listening to the news and we were hearing about the different cost rises, we were aware of what people were saying to us about the fear they had for the coming months, so based on that, as commissioners, we like to support our parishioners in whatever way that we can.

‘We have facilities that we either own or can rent out so we felt we wanted to offer a space where people could come, be warm, be comfortable, perhaps have a bit of a chat, have tea and coffee, that sort of thing and not worry about having to have their heat on at home.’

Asked if the commissioners felt pressured to take action, Mrs Glover said this was not the case.

‘We definitely didn’t feel pressure to do it. It was just an idea based on what we were hearing from people,’ she said.

‘What we agreed at our August board meeting was we’d just put some feelers out, do a little Facebook post and see the reaction that came back.

‘The overwhelming feedback from people was “this is a great idea”.

‘It wasn’t a pressure, it was just something we felt we could offer people.’

Mrs Glover added: ‘Something else that has come out of various meetings and the Facebook post is we’re aware we’re not alone.

‘There are a lot of like-minded people from the voluntary sector, or the local authorities that want to do something as well.

‘For example, I’ve been talking to Southern Befrienders and I know they want to liaise with us.

‘There’s also going to be a meeting of the voluntary organisations of the Isle of Man in Braddan.

‘I think the best thing really would be for everyone to try and coordinate.’

The chair stressed that ‘in an ideal world’ the commissioners would like to reach out to ‘the most needy’.

‘But we know that that’s very difficult to do,’ Mrs Glover said.

‘And also at this time this is going to affect everybody so we wouldn’t want to discriminate.

‘You might have an elderly couple that as well as getting out into a warm environment is getting the social side of things, you could have a single parent with a child, so I would imagine it would be a really good mix.

‘I think that that an important message to put out to people is that as well as everybody being welcome, it’s not a stigma, it’s actually something very sensible to do.

‘If you’re trying to cut your cloth according to the current times this would be a place that you could go, have some company and not worry about your bills.’