Chat with Charlie to get your finances 'winter-ready'
The Carers' Centre for Bath and North East Somerset is encouraging those caring for loved ones to prepare for winter by exploring ways to maximise their income, access energy advice and assistance and benefit from grants, to avoid falling into debt. All carers can request a call-back from the Centre’s dedicated advisor, Charlie, who offers personalised advice and support that can really make a difference. The Carers Centre also has free ‘Winter Warm’ packs to give away and drop-in events taking place.
The support Charlie offers is part of a national scheme called ‘Carer Money Matters’ which is funded by Carers’ Trust and has supported 854 local households since its launch a year ago. These households all include unpaid carers who are caring for loved ones, often at an impact to their financial stability and security.
"Managing your money well means making small changes that influence the bigger picture. I can help you identify those little wins that really add up. Please just give me a call and we’ll see what we can do,” says Charlie. “Examples of the ways Carer Money Matter can help includes: checking you’ve applied for the right benefits, looking at your energy use, or seeing what grants from energy companies you might be eligible for.”
The scheme can also help with specific things too; as illustrated by the example below.
Juliette was in the process of applying for a job to become a detective, and after being made redundant twice in the same year, the process was getting her down. With Charlie, Juliette went through their home energy usage and worked out why their water bills were expensive: due to their child’s additional needs, the family have to frequently wash bedding and clothing. The scheme was able to help Juliette by providing £500 to help pay these bills and support the family through the winter, so that they could continue to wait for her job application to go through. Juliette has now started her police training and is really enjoying it. Her mental health has improved, and she's on track towards having a job that will enable her to support her family really well, long-term.
“The Carers Centre has been a pillar of support for our family, helping us with our energy bills, providing food vouchers and advice, which really took the pressure off during a very difficult time. We are extremely grateful for the help that the team there have given to us and so many other families.”
Carers who think they might benefit from a conversation with Charlie, can call the Support Line on 0800 0388 885 (Monday – Friday, 9am-1pm), or request a call back by filling in a short form on our website: www.banescarerscentre.org.uk/Carer-Money-Matters
Alternatively, they can go along to the following drop-in session, where they can receive a free Winter Warm pack (with blanket, gloves, handwarmer etc), speak to Charlie and get help in applying for grants:
Fuel Poverty Awareness Day drop-in:
Wednesday, 26 November, 4pm – 6pm
The Carers’ Centre, Woodlands, Lower Bristol Road, Bath, BA2 9ES .