WarmerWight-plus helps over 200 people to stay warm

Great news in from Ray at Footprint Trust. Ed

Since November the local Footprint Trust charity have helped over 200 people stay warmer, thanks to funding provided through the My Life a Full Life programme, supported by the Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Spectrum Housing, Southern Housing, Comic Relief and The Beatrice Laing Trust.

Staff from the charity’s Warmer Wight-plus project have visited people in their homes and have explained how to use their heating to best effect. They have also referred people onto other agencies which can help them further. Dozens of households have been signed up for grant-funded boilers and insulation, through the new national ECO initiative.

Energy Saving Week
The Trust recently visited Southern Vectis pensioners group, and will shortly be popping into Brannons Cafe in Wootton on Friday 31st January between 10am and 12 noon, as part of Energy Saving Week.

Over the next few weeks you will also find staff braving the cold outside of the Co-op in Ryde and Freshwater and in St Thomas’s Square in Newport. They will be visiting local Children’s Centres and meeting parents, volunteers and staff. The Trust is giving talks and information to churches and community groups, and are asking for more referrals from other charities and organisations.

Happy to speak to Islanders
Speaking for The Trust Ray Harrington-Vail said,

“We are also hoping to go down a few pubs, and meet the locals there. So if anyone would like to invite us over to their local boozer for a pint and chat…we are up for that!
“We save most families around £200 a year on their energy bills, so we are well worth talking with!”

The Footprint Trust wishes to help a wide range of people including parents with young children, those seeking to live independently having left care, people who are struggling financially due to bereavement or loss, people who have issues with numeracy and literacy, those who are on low income and older people.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
The local Footprint Trust charity recently received The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service due to its pioneering work in helping Islanders. Last winter the charity helped dozens of local people by getting their homes insulated or providing energy efficient heating systems. The trust is now to build on this work

Carole Walker the charity’s chairman said,

“Thanks to this funding we are able to offer a greater service to those in greatest need. We will not just give guidance on saving energy and access to grants for insulation and new heating systems. The reason we are calling the project WarmerWight-plus is that we will be referring people to other agencies to gain assistance on other issues. We are founder members of the IsleHelp Partnership, which consists of the main advisory groups on the Isle of Wight. All of which are committed to working closer together to enable a better service for all our clients.”

How we can help
The Trust is recognised locally and nationally as being able to reach those who often go unnoticed and therefore not helped or assisted.

The WarmerWight-plus project will assist people by the giving the following information;