Festive help with cost concern
A POPULAR Swansea city service has announced a programme of prechristmas events to help people handle their cost of living concerns.
The Switched On energy awareness hub – just formally opened in High Street – offers free advice and guidance on keeping fuel bills as low as possible. Its new programme of activities puts a close focus on topics such as green gifts, DIY draft excluders, low-cost festive crafts, fuel payment support and grants for home energy efficiency projects.
The service is funded by Swansea Council and operated by the Environment Centre Swansea. Its new High Street base was formally launched on November 17.
Andrea Lewis, the council’s joint deputy leader and cabinet member for service transformation, said: “It was great to attend the formal launch of Switched On’s High Street base.
“It’s an accessible and convenient location for people of all backgrounds mas, always an expensive time of year for families.”
Forthcoming activity by Switched On includes:
November 24, 1-3pm: Upcycled draft excluder making. A free drop-in session at Switched On. A practical session where visitors can make their own draught excluder from upcycled material.
December 15, 1-3pm: Make it Sparkle. A free drop-in session at Switched On. A practical session where visitors can make their own festive crafts, decorations or gifts from upcycled material.
December 17, 9am-3pm: Open Day. A free drop-in session at Switched On. Visitors can find out about fuel payment support and grants available for home energy efficiency improvements.
Switched On is now open at Swan- sea Community Workshops, 208 High
Street, every Thursday and Friday from 10am-4pm.
It offers face-to-face discussions about energy bills, with support and information available for fuel payment schemes, energy efficiency improvement grants and general home energy use. The service first operated in the city centre’s Nelson Street in the first half of this year.
It has an ongoing programme of community visits that regularly takes practical tips to easily accessible venues in Swansea such as Gorseinon Library, Townhill’s Phoenix Centre, Morriston Library, Clydach Library and Penlan Foodbank in the South Penlan Community Centre.
The service will help the city become net zero carbon by 2050, a target to which the council is already working.
Rhian Corcoran, manager of Environment Centre Swansea, said: “People concerned about the costs of fuel have been visiting our city centre hub or community events or been looking for advice on our web pages.