RECEIVING HELP: Sarah Powell, the Health Through Warmth Co-ordinator in the Vale of Glamorgan, visits Granville French at his home in Penarth.
A SUCCESSFUL scheme in the Vale of Glamorgan has reached a significant milestone, after accessing £2 million worth of grants and other funds to improve levels of warmth and comfort in the homes of vulnerable residents who have cold and damp related illnesses.
The npower Health Through Warmth scheme1, first launched in the Vale of Glamorgan in October 2002, is run in partnership with the Vale of Glamorgan Council.
The £2 million of grants and other funds have been used to provide appropriate insulation and heating measures, helping to improve quality of life in more than 1,600 households across the Vale, including in Penarth, Dinas Powys, Barry, Cowbridge and Llantwit Major.
The scheme helps people of any age, whose health condition is made worse by cold or damp in their home, to get the heating and insulation measures they need to improve their living conditions
People are identified by health and other community workers (including nurses, occupational therapists, police and firemen) who have attended a Health Through Warmth training session.
Vulnerable people are often the least likely to seek assistance, but by linking up with community workers, they are more easily identified and referred to the scheme for practical help.
All referrals are assessed and the most suitable grants or other types of funds, including charities and the dedicated npower Health Through Warmth Crisis Fund, are then accessed to help pay for the required insulation and heating.
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One local resident from Penarth has recently received help from the scheme. After a serious fall at work in 2003, Granville French was forced to give up his job as a cleaning supervisor at the Council.
The fall caused severe damage to his spine, and Granville, aged 52, now has mobility problems.
He can't bend easily, carry anything heavy or walk without the support of his walking stick. He also has asbestosis (a lung disease caused by inhaling asbestos) from a former job as a ceiling fixer, which makes him breathless and prone to chest infections.
Following a routine safety check, his gas central heating system and fire were condemned, leaving Granville and his wife Kay without hot water or heating in their home.
Due to Granville's health condition, the couple urgently required assistance and Kay contacted the Citizens Advice Bureau for help.
The couple were then referred to npower Health Through Warmth who accessed funding and arranged for a local heating engineer to visit the property and install a new boiler, restoring heat and hot water in the couple's home.
The work was funded by charitable contributions from Barchester Healthcare Foundation and Independence at Home, the unique npower Health Through Warmth Crisis Fund, and a contribution from the couple.
Granville said: "It would have been incredibly difficult to raise the kind of money we needed to fix the heating ourselves, and I can't even imagine what it would have been like if we had to manage without.
"The help we received from Health Through Warmth means we don't have to worry about how we're going to keep warm particularly as I now have to spend most of my time in the house due to the problems I have getting around."
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THE local Health Through Warmth Co-ordinator in the Vale of Glamorgan is Sarah Powell, who is based in the Vale of Glamorgan Council's Property Services department and sees first-hand how the scheme can make a difference to people's lives.
Sarah said: "The scheme is fantastic because we can identify sources of funding which can, in many cases, cover the cost of installing insulation and heating measures.
"It offers flexibility in terms of funds we can access for clients and it is especially helpful to have the unique npower Health Through Warmth Crisis Fund that can be used in certain circumstances.
"We work closely with local health and community workers who can identify the link between the person's health problem and the cold, damp conditions in their home.
"I'm thrilled that all the hard work and dedication of our 800 referrers has meant £2 million has gone towards reaching some of the most vulnerable people across the Vale of Glamorgan living with cold and damp related illnesses. This is something I'm very proud to be part of."
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LOCAL residents who would like more information about Health Through Warmth can contact Sarah Powell at the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Property Services, Civic Offices, Holton Road, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, CF63 4RU. Tel: 01446 709847.
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