top of page
Community
Organisations
Writer's pictureMiles Lloyd

Charities in BaNES invited to 3SG’s Fuel Poverty Workshops aimed at assisting local residents

Updated: Mar 16, 2022



Local charity, BaNES Third Sector Group (3SG) in partnership with Citizens Advice are hosting a series of ‘Spotting Fuel Poverty’ workshops in March and April for charities in Bath and North East Somerset which support local residents hit hardest by rising heating and energy prices.


According to charity, National Energy Action (NEA) the energy price cap rising by over 50% from 1st April 2022 will push over six million people into fuel poverty due to an average increase in energy costs of almost £700 per year. In Bath, many families, individuals and older people are already feeling the pinch and struggling to heat their homes.

The Spotting Fuel Poverty workshops are aimed at helping charities and community groups identify who among their beneficiaries may be in fuel poverty and how they can offer help with benefits, grants and energy saving advice. Each workshop will focus on the following topics;

  1. How do you recognise if someone is in fuel poverty?

  2. How can people save money while staying warm and healthy?

  3. How can people find their way through the maze of financial help available?

The workshops will be held on three dates, two in-person events including a buffet and drinks and one online event:

The workshops are free to attend and funded by Western Power Distribution’s Community Matters fund for combating fuel poverty in the South West of England. You can register at: www.bit.ly/3sg-fuel


Local charity, 3SG, is an independent membership network representing over 170 local charities, social enterprises and community groups in the Bath and North East Somerset area. 3SG provides training, advice, support and networking events as well as one-to-one consulting.


Miles Lloyd, Co-ordinator at BANES 3rd Sector Group (3SG) commented: “Current energy price rises are a daunting prospect for everyone but fuel poverty can mean genuine hardship for those in our community who can’t afford to heat their homes or even cook hot food. We hope by bringing together local charities at these workshops, we can help to reach more residents in the community who are showing signs of fuel poverty and in turn provide practical advice on sources of financial aid and energy saving tips.”


Sian Francis, Research and Campaigns Manager at Citizens Advice, Bath and North East Somerset commented: “We are receiving a huge increase in enquiries from people worried about how to fund the 50% rise in electricity and gas prices from 1st April. Some low-income families, individuals and older people are shockingly faced with choosing between heating and eating. As the cost of heating and cooking rises many people on a low income will have to spend at least 40% of their benefits on energy costs which leaves less money to buy food and other necessities with no increase in income to fund it. These workshops couldn’t be more timely, if we don’t act now as a community to support people facing fuel poverty there’s a high risk of illegal loan sharks targeting financially vulnerable people with tempting but unsustainable loans.”


To find out more about the Spotting Fuel Poverty workshops visit www.bit.ly/3sg-fuel or for other 3SG events supporting local charities visit https://www.3sg.org.uk/eventpage or email contact@3sg.org.uk



68 views0 comments

Commentaires


bottom of page