Walsall Energy Action Project launches thanks to £1.5m funding from The National Lottery Community Fund
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Walsall Council and partners from the voluntary and community sector has announced a £1.5m project to help residents and communities in Walsall with rising energy bills and climate action.
The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK, has awarded £1.5m to help local organisations support Walsall residents and communities to take action on high energy bills and the climate crisis.
This spring, residents in Walsall who are struggling with their energy bills will be able to get free advice from the Walsall Energy Action Project. This includes 6 community energy hubs that are being set up across Walsall, located at community buildings, where residents will be able to find advice sessions and resources to inspire energy and climate action.
Group sessions and individual 1-2-1s will be available to help people understand their energy bills and easy ways save money and carbon.
Throughout the summer, advice on how to cope better in hot weather will be provided, whilst in autumn and winter the focus will be on heating homes efficiently and affordably.
Libraries of Inspiration will have energy monitoring kits available for loan alongside books and case studies on energy and climate actions.
The Walsall Energy Action Project is a partnership project between Ryecroft NRC, Aaina Community Hub Ltd, Brownhills Community Association, Darlaston All Active, Nash Dom CIC, Walsall Working For Change CIC and Walsall Council.
“ This is a really exciting project for our residents and the voluntary and community sector in Walsall, as there are some many residents needing energy saving advice. Thanks to National Lottery players, this vital funding will help our community organisations support our residents at this important time to ensure our communities are more resilient to climate change and high energy costs. “
“ With 60% of our residents saying they are concerned about climate change and 90% wanting to see organisations work together to help tackle this crisis, this project will ensure our community organisations have the knowledge and skills to work together to foster ideas from residents and communities in Walsall for climate action in our everyday lives. “
“ Walsall has the 9th highest rate of fuel poverty of all English Local authorities (19.7%) and some of the most energy inefficient homes in England, that leads to over 40% contribution to CO2 output. By combating the dual issues of increasing energy awareness and lowering carbon footprints the project will provide vital savings in both household budgets and greenhouse emissions, helping Walsall achieve net zero. “
“ We’re delighted to fund the Walsall Energy Action Project through our Climate Action Fund, bringing a range of partners together to offer help for people facing rising energy bills and resources to inspire more people to take climate action. Climate change matters to people and communities, so it matters to us. Thanks to National Lottery players, as the largest community funder in the UK, we are committed to supporting communities to come together to be environmentally sustainable, and we are significantly increasing our funding this year to inspire even more people to get involved in climate action across the UK. “
For more information, please contact: Communications Team on 01922 650000 or communications@walsall.gov.uk.
ENDS
Notes to editor:
About Walsall Energy Action Project
The Walsall Energy Action Project is a partnership project between Ryecroft NRC, Aaina Community Hub Ltd, Brownhills Community Association, Darlaston All Active, Nash Dom CIC, Walsall Working For Change CIC and Walsall Council.
The project will run for three years from April 2024 to provide energy saving and climate action advice to residents and communities in Walsall. Project staff and community staff and volunteers will be trained to give energy and climate action advice. Individual 1-2-1 and group advice sessions will be run from six Community Energy Hubs across Walsall, based at community centres. Home advice visits will be offered to those who are vulnerable and unable to visit community centres. Energy and Climate Libraries of Inspiration will offer items and books for loan to residents to inspire them to take energy and climate actions. An energy advice app will be made available with advice in up to 100 languages.
The project is being funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, through the Energy and Climate Fund of the Climate Action Fund.
About The National Lottery Community Fund
We are the largest non-statutory community funder in the UK – community is at the heart of our purpose, vision and name. We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.
We’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with Government to distribute vital grants and funding from key Government programmes and initiatives.
As well as responding to what communities tell us is important to them, our funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:
1. Come together
2. Be environmentally sustainable
3. Help children and young people thrive
4. Enable people to live healthier lives.
Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we distribute around £500 million a year through 10,000+ grants and plan to invest over £4bn of funding into communities by 2030. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £47 billion has been raised and more than 670,000 individual grants have been made across the UK - the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.
