Funding boost of £26k for THAW Orkney

THAW Orkney has received a funding boost of £26,200 from the Resilient Communities Fund, organised by Scottish and Southern Energy Networks (SSEN).

With a focus on projects designed to help vulnerable or isolated people, individual funding of up to £40,000 has been awarded to 29 community groups that demonstrated how their proposals will improve the welfare of those who are most vulnerable, expand community facilities, and supply life-saving equipment or services.

As a result, THAW Orkney received £26,200 to support people with mental health issues or learning difficulties in areas of energy efficiency advice and money-saving measures. Robert Leslie, THAW Orkney manager, said:

“We are extremely grateful for this funding from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks. We experienced high demand during the pandemic from Orkney residents with mental health issues or learning difficulties as they sought support to engage with energy efficiency programmes, energy providers, and income maximisation and debt services. It became clear, due to the volume of referrals and complexity of some of the work, that this was an area of our activity that needed to expand or we would be overwhelmed.

“This contribution from the Resilient Communities Fund will add resource to this vital work at a time we expect demand to grow considerably again, with rising electricity prices and reductions in other support mechanisms that have been in place during the pandemic. THAW Orkney will need to be at full strength to meet this demand, and this award takes us a step closer.”