We’re working hard to bring energy confidence to residents who can’t typically access regular sources of advice – in this case because English is not their first language. Ukrainian residents in South Gloucestershire were passionate about understanding the UK energy system when we made a presentation, with an interpreter present.
Conversations ran on too long for us to deal with every enquiry, so we picked up outstanding issues through five subsequent home visits.
Here are some of the issues faced by the attendees:
- families on home visits were signed up to the Priority Services Register
- two of the families visited need fuel vouchers
- one had no credit at the time of the event
- some people had been classed as a business and were being charged commercial rates for their energy
- people needed help getting get smart meters
- some simply didn’t know how to pay for their energy.
Though the families had been helped by social workers to settle in to new homes, other front-line support workers aren’t always equipped to give energy advice and this is where Severn Wye experts can step in.
After the event one of the attendees said: ‘We would like to express our gratitude for the session. We are pensioners and our English isn’t very strong, so we had many questions. The team helped us understand everything, clarified our concerns, and provided useful information on where to turn for further help. It was interesting, educational, and exactly what we needed. Thank you to the organisers and consultants for their hard work and the small gifts. A big thank you!”
The resettlement co-ordinator at South Gloucestershire Council told us: “I was truly impressed by the effort you put into the presentation. It was so helpful that the handout materials were available in Ukrainian – this made a big difference. Thank you for your professionalism and the friendly atmosphere you created during the session. It made a real impact!”
