“It saved my life. I really didn’t expect it…” the words of Mark (not his real name), who was just one of many beneficiaries of the National Grid (Fuel Poverty Plus) fund delivered by Localgiving to Harbour Housing in the Winter of 2022.  This fantastic charity provides supported accommodation and outreach services to individuals in Cornwall and West Devon who have experienced, or are at risk of, homelessness. The work and the demands they face have increased significantly in recent years due to the cost-of-living crisis, from 2021 to 2022, they saw a 38% increase in referrals into their accommodation services.

With these rising pressures, the National Grid (Fuel Poverty Plus) fund, in partnership with Localgiving was proud to be able to grant Harbour Housing £10,000 in Winter 2022, and the impact was immediate – supporting essential and sometimes life-saving war packs to approximately 110 people desperately in need.

And we are immensely proud that this important work been recognised by the 2023 Charity Times Awards in being nominated alongside National Grid and Harbour Housing for an award in the Corporate Community Local Involvement category.

Since its launch in 2021, the Community Matters Fund, funded entirely by shareholders, has awarded £4.3 million to grassroots organisations. The award to Harbour Housing ( @HarbourHousing ), was part of £2.5 million of funding made available to tackle fuel poverty in the communities National Grid Electricity Distribution serves.

The £10,000 grant from National Grid in the Winter of 2022, enabled Harbour Housing to help approximately 110 people and families with warm packs – all containing fleece blankets, draught excluders, LED light bulbs, thermal curtains, and socket timers. And also gas packs that contained radiator foil and radiator bleed keys, and the electric ones that came with a double electric blanket. 

With the huge increase in both fuel costs and the cost of living, this was a timely and important intervention to provide much needed help to practically support families and communities experiencing some immense difficulties.

To share just one example of the impact of the Community Matters Fund on Harbour Housing’s community, Mark (not his real name) had been ill and relying on his electric blanket to keep warm, unfortunately this broke and he couldn’t afford to buy a new one. He was offered a warm pack through from the grant and was particularly grateful, as he needed to stay warm to aid in his recovery from illness. When asked to provide feedback, he stated, “It saved my life. I really didn’t expect it, I was trying to save money for another [electric blanket] but was struggling to find the money to pay for one.”

On learning of the nomination, Malcolm Putko, Operations Director at Harbour Housing told us: “We are absolutely delighted and humbled to be shortlisted for a prestigious Charity Times Award alongside Localgiving and National Grid, without whom our warm pack project would not have happened. We are very proud of this project and the difference it made to those in our local community combatting fuel poverty and so we are thrilled to be recognised for this work. This project reached out to so many, in fact we were overwhelmed and saddened by stories of those we visited and helped. I’d also like to say congratulations to the other brilliant charities and their corporate partners in this category, who have also done phenomenal work!”

The grant was promoted, managed, and distributed by Localgiving who since 2012 has connected grassroots organisations with donations, fundraising and grants plus resources and support, helping thousands of UK community groups do amazing things every day.

Luke Upton, Head of Communications at Localgiving added: “All the team here are positively thrilled to have had our work with National Grid and Harbour Housing recognised by the Charity Times Awards. We all work hard to support those organisations making a big difference to their communities and few make as positive an impact as Harbour Housing in directly improving the quality of life of vulnerable people in the West Country. We are excited for the Awards and good luck to all the other fantastic nominees!”

The 2023 Charity Times Awards, now in its 24th year, are being held on September 20th and we are nominated in the Corporate Community Local Involvement alongside Cadent Foundation & Groundwork, Dame Kelly Holmes Trust & Westfield Health, JTI UK and The Bread and Butter Thing & Wagamama.