£60,000 funding from ScottishPower Energy People Trust helps vulnerable residents
Local Dumfries charity, Independent Living Support (ILS), hosted a special event today (06 June 2013) to celebrate helping local residents, and raise awareness of its Empowering People Plus project, one year on.
The lunchtime event which took place at St George’s Church Hall, welcomed Dumfries MP Russell Brown as the guest speaker, alongside a number of local partner agencies that also helped the charity to celebrate winning additional funding of £40,000 from the Headley Trust. This will allow ILS to run a weekly counselling service for residents in Dumfries beginning on the 1st of July 2013.
The Empowering People Plus service has been a great success thanks to funding provided by the ScottishPower Energy People Trust. The Trust represented on the day by Ann Loughrey, has granted the project £60,000 over two years, benefiting 1,771 people already, with one year left to run.
The grant has allowed ILS to employ two specialist workers to provide both a drop-in and outreach program, giving energy efficiency advice to vulnerable residents of Dumfries & Galloway on how to maximise their finances and sustain energy payments as well as tips on how to make their homes more energy efficient and save money.
Elaine Colquhoun, Financial Manager at Empowering People Project said: ‘“It’s been a fantastic event to raise awareness of the Empowering People Plus service and to celebrate the success of the project one year on.
“The funding received from the ScottishPower Energy People Trust has helped establish a service that local people can really benefit from and often one that is a real life line for those that may find it difficult to juggle between heating and eating.”
ILS runs their drop in centre in Dumfries, which is open Monday to Friday from 10am until 2pm, allowing those that qualify to speak to an advisor on all aspects of energy efficiency.
Ann Loughrey, Company Secretary and Trustee of the ScottishPower Energy People Trust, said: “Independent Living Support is already well-established in the area offering Dumfries & Galloway residents a range of services. Thanks to funding from the ScottishPower Energy People Trust, they can continue to provide specialised energy efficiency advice to those who are vulnerable in the community and we are delighted to continue to support the Empowering People Plus project.”
Independent Living Support can be contacted on 01387 261 746, or Dumfries residents can attend the office at 8 George Street Meuse, Dumfries, DG1 1HH.
For further information, please contact:
John Scott, Stripe Communications
T: 07935 915 850 / scottishpower@stripecom.co.uk
About The ScottishPower Energy People Trust
The ScottishPower Energy People Trust funds registered charities that help people whose lives are affected by fuel poverty. Since forming in November 2005, the Trust has provided over £11.4 million to 236 projects across Britain, helping more than 1.5 million people. The Trust is funded by ScottishPower and voluntary donations from independent supporters.
Decisions to award funding are made independently of ScottishPower by an experienced Board of Trustees who have a special interest in fuel poverty. They include representatives from Energy Action Scotland and National Energy Action.
The ScottishPower Energy People Trust is an independent charity established to help end fuel poverty in Britain. Please note funding is not available to individuals, only charitable organisations.