Health and wellbeing Cool spaces to beat the heat in Manchester

Sign-up to be a Community Cool Space

Help Manchester beat the heat, become a community cool space.

As our summers get hotter, heatwaves pose a real health risk to our residents, especially older people, young children, and those with health conditions.

A heatwave means temperatures of 25°C or more for three consecutive days.

To help keep our community safe, we are expanding Manchester's network of Cool Spaces. We welcome public places where people can take refuge from the heat.

We are inviting community and faith centres to join this citywide network.
 

Why become a Cool Space?

  • Cool Spaces offer a vital lifeline to residents during extreme weather.
  • Welcome new faces.
  • Increase your visibility and welcome new people through your doors who may become regular visitors.
  • Your venue will be promoted on the Manchester City Council Cool Spaces map, online listings, and in press releases.
  • It's simple and free. Signing up is easy and there is no cost to participate. You are simply making your existing space available.
     

What do we ask of Manchester's Community Cool Spaces?

The requirements are designed to be as easy as possible for you to manage. All we ask is that you provide a venue that:

  • Is open to all free of charge
  • Has free seating for rest and recovery from the heat
  • Has free drinking water available, i.e. water cooler, water fountain, tap water, etc.
  • Is staffed during opening hours
  • Has an indoor temperature below 26C*

    * Although our individual tolerance to heat varies, especially for vulnerable individuals, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Adverse Weather and Health Plan recommends cool rooms or areas be maintained below 26°C to help prevent serious health issues.


Our Cool Spaces network 

Manchester's network of cool spaces (Manchester libraries) went live on 1 June 2025. These are constant cool spaces regardless of national heat health alerts (yellow/amber/red) issued by the UKHSA.

Our constant cool spaces network operating during the summer offers support to people if they need to keep hydrated or seek shelter from the sun. Cool spaces are not meant to provide medical care or support to vulnerable people. Instead, they offer:

  • shelter from the sun,
  • free water,
  • a place to cool down and;
  • resting areas.
     

Ready to make a difference? Join the Network today.

Signing up is quick and easy. Simply complete the registration form and we will review your submission and include successful ones on future map updates. 

For more information on Cool Spaces please email: ph.business.support@manchester.gov.uk 

Before you start the form, check that your venue is based in the Manchester City Council area. To confirm this, use our postcode checker.

There's also a requirement to sign up to the UKHSA alerts.  Please complete the  Weather-Health Alerting system registration form - there is a specified role for ‘The voluntary and community sector’.