Swansea Carers Centre has employed a part time advisor who will help provide advice and help to hundreds of carers and their cared for clients.
With the increasing focus on the rising costs of living, the advisor will focus on energy efficiency, fuel bills and carbon monoxide safety advice. They will provide a specific service to both carers, and those being cared for, through one-to-one in-person appointments, a telephone support line, and walk-in sessions, which will be available at the charity’s Mansel Street office.
Gas emergency and pipeline service, Wales & West Utilities has provided the funding to Swansea Carers Centre as part of its Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA).
The advisor will also help claim benefits for the carers, provide debt management advice, help with utility tariff switching and make referrals through to Wales & West Utilities existing network of partnerships. They will also be able to assist eligible carers, and those being cared for, in getting referred to the Priority Service Register, make referrals for specialist support with fitting Locking Cooker Valves and distribute free carbon monoxide alarms.”
Fleur Broadbent, Fundraising Officer, at Swansea Carers Centre, said:
The impacts of the rising costs of living are being felt by everyone but this service will now allow our carers across the city to gain advice, specific to their own set of circumstances, to allow them to benefit both financially and from a gas safety perspective.
We are delighted that Wales & West Utilities has partnered with us to allow us to offer this increasingly important service to our carers and their clients.
Swansea Carers Centre supports people caring for family members, friends or neighbours. It helps with information, advice, support and social events to help people in their caring roles.
Tom Robinson, Social Obligations Specialist at Wales & West Utilities, said:
We’re happy that this funding will allow Swansea Carers Centre to help hundreds of carers and their cared for clients.
We are committed to doing everything we can to support those most in need in our communities. Working with trusted partners like Swansea Carers Centre means we can help more people stay safe in their own homes.
Between April 2021 to March 2026, Wales & West Utilities has £7m to spend on projects which support consumers in vulnerable situations and raise awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide and keep people safe from the ‘silent killer’.
Funding is made from the Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance (VCMA), and 75% of the money will be spent on projects relevant to Wales and south west England only, while 25% will be spent on collaborative projects with the other gas networks across the whole of the UK.
If you have a project that you think Wales & West Utilities could support, either individually or collaboratively with other gas networks, then contact Wales & West Utilities at VCMA@wwutilities.co.uk.
Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service, brings energy to 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales. If you smell gas, or suspect the presence of carbon monoxide, call us on 0800 111 999 straight away, and our engineers will be there to help any time of day or night. Before visiting, we'll ask you to let us know if you or anyone in your household, is experiencing Coronavirus symptoms or self-isolating. We'll still come and help you: but our teams will take some additional precautions to keep us all safe.