Local families get energy efficiency help

The Kashmir Youth Project, based in Rochdale, welcomed members of the local community along to an Energy & Benefits Awareness event, held in conjunction with the Riverside Housing Association.

The community event was set up to highlight the services that are available to help with energy efficiency in homes. 

The Kashmir Youth Project has been running the Fuel Poverty Project over the past year thanks to funding from the ScottishPower Energy People Trust. The Trust gave the project £50,000, which will help nearly 5,000 people in Rochdale.

The project provides vital information on how people can make their homes more energy efficient and gives them information on advice on benefits and support they may be entitled to which is really important in the current challenging economic climate.

The connection which the project staff have to the local community has enabled them to reach out to a wider group of people; families who might otherwise slip through the net.

A big focus of the project has been to train up local community ‘Energy Champions’, who can reach out to their neighbours and teach them ways of making their homes more energy efficient.

The event gave an opportunity for existing champions to talk about how they have been able help people and demonstrate how small steps can have a huge impact on the warmth and efficiency of people’s homes.

Naila Ilyas, Fuel Poverty Project coordinator, said: “The long-term effects of this project are become clearer every day – with more people now able to understand what services are available to them, which makes a huge difference to the warmth of their house and their bills. We are proud that we can empower people to help their neighbours and those in need to make a positive impact in Rochdale.”

Ann Loughrey from the ScottishPower Energy People Trust said: “The Fuel Poverty project is hugely inspirational and has helped hundreds of local families. It is great to see a community come together to help others learn about energy efficiency and what simple steps they can take to make their homes warmer. It is an excellent example of Energy People Trust funding being put to good use in the local community.”