Groundwork

We are thrilled to announce that we are working with Professor Green on a BBC Radio 4 charity appeal to help raise funds and awareness for Groundwork’s Green Doctor programme and help those trapped in fuel poverty. Tune in on Sunday 15 December at 7:54am or later in the day at 9.25pm to hear more! Read more: https://lnkd.in/e2cx7hN7 With over 6.5m households living in fuel poverty - you don’t have to wait to donate. Find out more about the appeal and how these vital funds will help those living in fuel poverty across the UK: https://lnkd.in/ek3jNpPU #ProfessorGreen #GivingTuesday #GreenDoctor

Meet Rachel – who changes the lives of those living in fuel poverty across Blackpool. As a Groundwork Green Doctor - she visits people in their home, or at a local community hub, to provide advice, fit practical energy saving measures and quite often, offer a much needed chat. Watch Rachel’s story: https://lnkd.in/eZ8j4UWa Partnership working is crucial to help those trapped in fuel poverty. If you’re a charity providing other services to people in vulnerable circumstances, can you share our online resources providing practical advice on how to keep warm and well? Find out more: https://lnkd.in/d7pQVZ7a #GreenDoctor Cadent Foundation

Did you know that Groundwork can help your colleagues take control of their energy bills? Through a workplace surgery or online webinar, our Green Doctors can provide your staff team with helpful energy efficiency advice ahead of winter. Get in touch to find out more about the packages on offer: https://lnkd.in/d7pQVZ7a #GreenDoctor

The need for jobs to enable the transition to net zero, tackle environmental issues and inequalities and support the development of new green technology is never more needed. Our partnership with the Cadent Foundation is working to plug that gap – with over £500k invested to create 35 new Green Doctors over the next three years. Meet Jayne, 55 from Wigan, who joined Groundwork as a Green Doctor through the Cadent Foundation Green Doctor Academy. After a long-standing career in the transport industry, Jayne made the green switch to a brand new career where she is utilising her transferable skills to support people living in fuel poverty. Read her story: https://lnkd.in/em6TmG4V #GreenDoctor

This is exactly why I became involved with the charity in the first place. As a housing professional, I have the ability to impact people’s lives for the better, and having the team at Groundwork Five Counties to call upon to help enhance the service Bassetlaw District Council can offer its housing customers, has resulted in some real tangible change for real people in our district. I look back at the work the authority has done in partnership with GWFC, the impact we have made, and the journey we are on together, and it makes me immensely proud to have played a small part in making it all happen….. 💚

Meet Chris who has supported people living in fuel poverty across the West Midlands since 2020. Chris has worked with Groundwork for over 23 years on a variety of community projects, including energy efficiency. He was inspired to be a full-time Green Doctor after an increasing awareness of how fuel poverty was becoming a more widespread and intense national issue. “The best part of the Green Doctor role is knowing that we make a real difference to the quality of people’s lives, sometimes by relieving the stress of energy debt but also by helping them to stay warm and healthy at home without incurring large energy bills.” Read more about Chris: https://lnkd.in/eSkaVy8N To continue helping people in hardship we need to work with more partners. If you work in the fields of housing, health or debt advice, can we link up to make sure we’re reaching the people that need help the most? Find out how you can support our work: https://lnkd.in/d7pQVZ7a #FuelPovertyAwarenessDay Groundwork West Midlands

Our partners make all the difference. Through our funding to multiple partners we are able to tackle #fuelpoverty, low incomes and energy inefficient homes. Every day our partners work hard to offer essential services to help people heat their homes and stay well, including energy efficiency advice, income maximisation advice and the installation of energy-saving measures like radiator panels and draught excluders. Our Managing Director, Ranjit Blythe, commented: "Last year alone our partners helped households with over £5m in financial gains from income maximization advice, which is just incredible! That’s money back in pockets through new income sources which helps people to stay warm and stay physically and mentally well at home." Sabrina Sallis, Head of Income Generation at our charity partner Citizens Advice talked about our funding: “Thanks to the funding we’ve been able to support residents to put ongoing solutions in place rather than quick fixes. This helps them feel empowered, knowledgeable and less anxious, tackling some of the root causes of fuel poverty and helping to address it in the long term.” We are proud to continue working closely with key partners to drive sustainable, lasting change to those in fuel poverty through winter and all year round. #FuelPovertyAwarenessDay Groundwork, Blackpool Coastal Housing , Trussell, National Energy Action (NEA), Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Citizens Advice , Nottingham Energy Partnership, RNIB, The Wrekin Housing Group

This #FuelPovertyAwarenessDay, we want to take the opportunity to say thank you to our over 40 partners, who have allowed us to provide energy efficiency, benefit support and financial advice to over one million households across our networks in the last year alone. Our purpose is to keep people warm while protecting the planet and a huge part of this, is helping those living in fuel poverty through the support and actions of our amazing partners. We spend, on average, £130k a day on fuel poverty initiatives, but this is a small price to pay to help people feel safe and warm in their homes. We’re incredibly proud of all the work our teams at Cadent, the Cadent Foundation and our fabulous partners have accomplished and are excited to see how, through strong collaboration, we will continue to support communities long into the future. Age UK, Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN), Citizens Advice, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Act on Energy, YES Energy Solutions, Marches Energy Agency, IE Hub, YMCA England & Wales, Fuel Bank Foundation, Marie Curie UK, MyBnk, NSPCC, Groundwork, National Energy Action (NEA)

Earlier this year, Groundwork released the results of the results of our annual survey of Green Doctors – energy efficiency advisers – which painted a troubling picture of the realities for people trapped in fuel poverty across the UK. We found: • 94% of Green Doctors reported supporting households that did not use their central heating at all. • 85% said they had worked with people cutting back on food or only eating cold meals. • 68% say they’ve spoken to people who have had to borrow money – either as credit cards or loans or through informal borrowing from friends and family. Sadly, nearly ten months on, demand for our help has never been more needed. Groundwork works with those living in fuel poverty to provide clear, concise advice on reducing bills, saving energy, and staying warm. With the help of partners we can do so much more. Get in touch today to see how you can partner with Groundwork: https://lnkd.in/d7pQVZ7a  #FuelPovertyAwarenessDay

We have worked with many partners over the years, delivering projects of all scales across the nation. Our partnership with Avison Young saw the training of nine Green Doctors and supported continued development by funding City & Guilds qualifications in Energy Awareness. Speaking of the partnership, Hannah Baines, Community and Charity Manager at Avison Young said: “We are proud supporters of Groundwork’s Green Doctor programme, helping to expand and enhance the service offer. Fuel poverty is a real problem for many households in the UK, and services like the Green Doctors provides a lifeline to many, with demand for the service increasing. We were therefore keen to help Groundwork upskill their advisors across a range of UK regions, so they can reach more vulnerable people and broaden the services that the Green Doctors can provide during home visits. Partnerships like these help Avison Young demonstrate our commitment to supporting the communities in which we operate and create positive social impacts.” As we head into what, for many, will be another difficult winter, we’re asking help to do more. Find out how you too can partner with us and help tackle fuel poverty: https://lnkd.in/d7pQVZ7a #GreenDoctor Avison Young │ UK