A GP surgery in Dalry has introduced “warm space” sessions throughout January to help combat isolation.

Dalry Health Centre are offering the drop-in sessions on January 24 and 31 between 3 and 4.30pm.

Patients who attend can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, a biscuit, and a health check with the practice nurse Joyce – helping them combat loneliness and keep up their health at the same time.

Practice manager, Susan Dylan, said: “We were inspired to start the warm spaces because we knew there wasn’t a lot of them in the local community and we heard other surgeries were doing similar things, so we thought ‘we’ll give it a go!’ “Anybody who needs to come along and wants to sit in a nice warm place for an hour, get a cup of tea and a biscuit, and have their weight and blood checked is welcome.

“You don’t even need to have a health check-up when you come – you can just come in, have a chat, and see other people.

“We’re just trying to encourage a bit of community spirit and get people out of the house – giving them somewhere warm and safe to come along to.”

The warm space hours were first announced in late December 2022 and began on January 10 2023.

All things going well, the practice hope they can continue to host the warm space afternoons twice a month until April and possibly beyond.

Patients who wish to attend are encouraged to wear a facemask when entering the surgery.