New campaign to help in big freeze

People struggling with ancient heating systems or broken boilers have a new lifeline as the Cumbria Affordable Warmth Partnership launches Hot Spots, an extra strand to its practical support for vulnerable households across the county.

“We can already offer help with heating bills through the Cumbria Community Foundation’s Winter Warmth Fund,” says James Airey, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Adult Social Care, “and there is a lot of advice and support available to help with insulation and energy savings but we recognised a gap in providing emergency heating help to the more vulnerable households across the county.”

“Warm Homes, Hot Spots is funded by Cumbria County Council through the Department of Health’s Warm Homes, Healthy People Fund and it provides up to £200 worth of help on boiler repairs, servicing contracts or even the short-term replacement heaters if that’s what’s needed.”

David Prentice of Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency (CREA) is responsible for administering the scheme and his colleague, Gemma Barnes, is the first point of contact for those in need.

“Hot Spots has needed a wide range of partners working together to make it happen and to keep it as simple as possible,” David says.  “We’re working with commercial organisations such as Thomas Armstrong’s Service and Maintenance Division as well as the carers groups across Cumbria, health professionals, Age UK, Citizens’ Advice Bureaux, district councils and lots of other people.  This partnership working should mean that someone with a heating emergency – or wanting to avoid an emergency with a timely boiler service – can make a single telephone call and get the financial help and the practical contacts that they need.”

Hot Spots is aimed at vulnerable people who are in danger from cold homes – older people, the sick and young families on low incomes – who are at highest risk.  It covers up to £200 of fast financial and practical help to repair heating systems, maintain boilers, provide replacement heaters or help make a cold home more energy efficient.  It is available across Cumbria now and until the end of March 2012. To access the scheme, claimants just have to make a call, give their details and provide evidence of being a benefit claimant, or similar.  Or a health visitor, social worked, carers’ organisation, children’s centre or similar can make a claim on someone’s behalf.

Anyone who needs help with a heating system and thinks they qualify should:
• call Gemma Barnes at Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency on 01539 726624 to get things moving.
OR
• in an emergency out of office hours, call Thomas Armstrong’s Service and Maintenance Division on 07967 340567, quoting Hot Spots to arrange a boiler repair.

Full details are available by calling Gemma at CREA on 01539 726624 and details can also be found online at www.cumbria.gov.uk/brrr and www.crea.co.uk.