Thousands supported by charity’s handy service

A service designed to keep Fife residents warm and reduce their energy bills has supported more than 20,000 people since it started a decade ago.

Community-led charity Greener Kirkcaldy’s handy service and cosy packs have proved invaluable over the years, helping thousands of people who found themselves in crisis.

The charity, which receives funding from British Gas Energy Trust, brings people together, takes positive action on the climate emergency and supports people through fuel poverty and food insecurity.

It delivers a range of different projects, events and training to build resilience within their local community. It works with other organisations in Fife to offer free and impartial energy advice through the Cosy Kingdom partnership.

Its handy service provides energy efficiency measures like LED lightbulbs, draught excluders for windows, doors and letterboxes as well as radiator foils and thermal curtains for homes in need. Beneficiaries must either be in receipt of benefits or in fuel poverty.

The charity introduced its cosy packs after the coronavirus pandemic, supplying people with items like thermal gloves, hats and socks as well as blankets, dressing gowns, insulated flasks, hot water bottles and wheat packs.

Bruce McCall, Service Delivery Manager at Greener Kirkcaldy, said:

“The wheat packs and flasks have gone down well recently, because not everyone wants – or can afford – to fill up and use their kettles. This way, they can use the microwave to heat their wheat bags and either only use their kettle once a day, or even fill up their flask with hot water from a nearby community centre.”

In the last year alone, the team have delivered 3,800 energy advice sessions.

Their two-strong handyperson service often make four visits per person every single day, with the team supporting 1680 households over the last 12 months.

During the pandemic, 91% of the people the charity saw were in fuel poverty. That figure has since reduced to 60%.

Bruce added:

“The handy service was a very simple programme when we started –we were very focused on helping people reduce their carbon footprint before the cost-of-living crisis took hold. We used to focus on swapping out old lightbulbs with new energy efficient LED ones.

“Some people often didn’t use their lights at all or would go from room to room with a single bulb. So, we were making a huge difference from the start.

“And now, some people do not have cooking facilities, so providing them with microwaves or slow cookers has a real impact on their daily lives.

“Our work has grown in response to feedback from the people we support and our partnership work with the local foodbanks. It works really well. We’ve noticed more projects sprouting up on the back of its success, with many of our partners filling in the gaps between services where they’re needed.

“Our support can really help people with their mental health too – being able to shut their curtains means people have privacy in their homes, which is a really big deal.”

Michael Hildrew, the charity’s Energy Advice Team Leader, said the services were targeting those most in need, adding:

“It’s really worked well for those people with health issues and the elderly. We have been able to provide electric blankets to people who really need to stay warm because of their health conditions but have been unable to do so. These are energy-efficient appliances, costing around 2p per hour to run, so they can really help.”

The charity has helped people like Shelley*, a single parent living in a council property with her son who has ADHD and autism. In receipt of benefits, struggling to pay her energy bills and and in a cold home, she was worried about her son’s health as the house needed to be a warm, consistent temperature.

The Greener Kirkcaldy team stepped in with a home visit to find that her the house had very high ceilings with lots of glass doors, some of which were draughty. After receiving energy advice and having practical draught proofing measures installed, Shelley feels much more confident in being able to manage her bills.

*name changed to protect identity.

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