Residents in Stone are being urged to reach out for help in keeping their homes warm and lowering their energy bills as the cold weather and potential snow approaches.
As the cost of living continues to affect many households across the country, residents in Stone are being advised to keep their homes at a warm temperature to prevent respiratory illnesses such as colds and flu, which can add to the burden on the NHS.
Maintaining room temperatures at 18°C, the recommended level to reduce the risk of serious short and long-term illnesses, can be challenging for many households in Stone. With a cold snap forecast for the coming days, residents are encouraged to reach out to Warmer Homes Stafford for assistance.
Warmer Homes Stafford is a collaboration between the Stafford Borough Council and fuel poverty charity Beat the Cold, offering funding and free advice to improve energy efficiency in homes. Residents are encouraged to contact Warmer Homes Stafford to learn more about these resources.
Beat the Cold are a longstanding Staffordshire-based charity that provides telephone and face-to-face help with energy bills through specially trained staff.
And testimonies from people helped by them demonstrate this – with one local woman saying she was made aware of ways she could save on bills adding: “It was lovely to have someone at the other end of the phone who genuinely cared and listened to me.’’
Stafford Borough Council has also joined forces with a network of venues to create ‘warm spaces’ for residents – with village halls, churches, and community centres available as friendly, inviting places to help local people facing the cost-of-living crisis. Our weekly What’s On Guide for Stone contains all of the Stone venues that people can go to stay warm.
They are also working with food charities and the Stafford Food Distribution Hub to make more food available to food banks across the Borough.
Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities and Health, Councillor Jeremy Pert, said:
“If this Winter was not challenging enough for residents in the borough, with some having very difficult decisions between heating and eating, this cold snap will make it doubly difficult and I would urge residents to seek the help that they can from someone like Warner Homes Stafford.
“Equally, the network of Warm Spaces across the Borough is still growing – with room for more to come on board – and they offer not only a warm welcome but also a warm space, warm drink, and warm food. So, if residents have been reticent to visit one so far, they will find somewhere with support and a space to beat the cold snap that’s coming.”
Residents in the Stone can get in touch at 0800 677 1785 or via warmerhomesstafford@beatcold.
