The Isle of Wight Footprint Trust has won the 2020 Vulnerable Customer Support Campaigner of the Year accolade in the regional Energy Efficiency Awards.
The Footprint Trust charity has been helping fuel poor people on the Isle of Wight since 2003. This has been achieved through a number of projects, offering tailored guidance and information.
The Trust has received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service 2013 – for innovative work helping the community. It is also the recipient of the National Energy Action Award for inclusivity 2018 and has two Big Energy Saving Network energy champions among its staff.
Speaking about the Award, Ray Harrington-Vail, the general manager of the charity, said:
“Our clients are people in fuel poverty living on the Isle of Wight, one of the highest areas of poverty in the South East, at around 11%. The Island has higher than average number older people, many of which are vulnerable. This is coupled by high levels of child poverty at around 30%. Higher than average amounts of illiteracy and innumeracy is also an issue. Much of the housing stock is old and poorly insulated.”
The reason why the Trust came top in the Award was due to their work in lifting people out of fuel poverty and provides several key services which are not provided or funded by the local authority.
Their Monergy workshops deliver fun, informal workshops which educate people about the amount of energy and water used in their homes. These offer skills to understand and manage bills and help people to take control of their household management and avoid debt and use energy more wisely.
For those who need further support, The Footprint Trust offer tailored home visits where they look at saving energy, money and keeping people warm.
Their staff visit around 600 people per year across the Isle of Wight and deliver support to around 2,000 at events and over the phone. Over the past year they have identified savings of over £100,000 for people living in fuel poverty on the Isle of Wight.
To get help with energy and water bills contact the Trust by emailing [email protected] or call 01983 822282.
