Fuel poverty team fired up to help city’s elderly

South Yorkshire Energy Centre at Heeley City Farm has become one of the regional winners of the Community Footprint award, a national award scheme run by the fuel poverty charity National Energy Action in association with the Department for Energy and Climate Change and British Gas.

Their winning Cold Home Busters project is a communications partnership service that aims to provide information and offer support on how to keep well and warm during the winter months by utilising their existing organisations network and establishing a presence in GP surgeries and during flu jab clinics in order to reach the elderly and vulnerable in the local community. The service will offer help and support on how to save energy and keep homes warm by accessing available information and grants. The project aims to provide face-to-face support to at least 300 people, targeting the most disadvantaged communities.

The Community Footprint Award is an award scheme that aims to reward projects throughout England which demonstrate best practice in the field of fuel poverty and carbon savings and is open to all not-for-profit groups and organisations.

To celebrate the project’s successful entry into the Community Footprint Award scheme, a local event was held on Thursday, December 13 at the Stubbin Community Centre in Sheffield with attendees from NEA, British Gas and the winning project team as well as volunteers and stakeholders. The project will now go on to compete against the eight other winning initiatives from around the country for the national award to £3,000 in addition to the £2,000 already awarded.

“All at SYEC are really proud of our project and the partnership approach we take which means that we can widen our reach across the city.”