The clocks ‘went back’ on 25th October. The following week saw the highest recorded levels of extreme loneliness since the first lockdown began in March.
With the new lockdown now in place, more people will be having to stay at home and turn on their heating – if they can afford to. Now more than ever it’s important to raise awareness to vulnerable consumers of how to stay warm, how to use less energy, and how to pay less. Are your staff and volunteers aware of the support available? CAN is offering free online training to help frontline workers provide support and information where needed.
As leaders and members of the city’s resident, community, faith and voluntary groups we’re very aware of the trusted place you hold for Norwich residents and we’d like you ask for your help in ensuring that, as cases here increase, people have access to the right information and support to keep them safe.
Many Norfolk households and businesses in off-gas areas are burdened with the added element of the unregulated prices of heating oil. A few weeks ago we asked for your help in raising awareness of ThinkingFuel, our collective heating oil buying scheme. And we’d like to say a big thank you to those of who have published the article we supplied or have shared posters and flyers. If you haven’t already shared the message, we should be most grateful if you would. Details of how you can help can be found below.
Recently we published a feature called Winter + energy bills + COVID-19 constraints = potential fuel poverty crisis explaining the perennial problem of fuel poverty that manifests itself each winter, which is likely to be made worse for many by the outcomes of Covid-19 this year. CAN is offering free training to frontline staff help people provide support and information where needed.
A new report warns of a difficult winter ahead for fuel poor households across the UK in the coming winter, as a potent combination of higher energy use resulting from staying at home for longer is mixed with reductions in income. It is estimated that 25,000 households across Norfolk experience some level of fuel poverty. CAN is committed to tackling these issues and supports a range of initiatives across the county.
The Matthew Project would shut their offices on the 18th March, switching immediately to offer services remotely, through the phone, online groups, and doing door-step visits when a welfare concern was raised as the Police were unable to do this due to capacity limitations.
More than 97% of the world’s water is too salty to drink. Another 2% is locked up in ice caps and glaciers. That leaves less than 1% for us – for drinking, washing, watering our gardens, for agriculture, for industry. Following Anglian Water’s ‘Keep It Clear’ campaign, encouraging the public to dispose of wastewater and material safely, we are now helping with their ‘Love Every Drop’ campaign.
Here at CAN we deliver a wide and varied range of support for communities across the county. One particular activity is ThinkingFuel, our well-established community heating oil buying scheme. And we'd like to ask your help in raising awareness of it as a benefit in rural, off-gas communities.