Norfolk Advice Network Helpline

This new service which opens Monday 4th April is designed to help callers find the right NCAN member agency to refer to for advice and support. A specially recruited team of 4 staff will answer calls to help you make quick and accurate referrals to NCAN’s member agencies.  Funded by Norfolk County Council for 3 years initially, Your Norfolk Advice Network Helpline is designed to save everyone time by getting you the right help, right from the start.  The helpline number is 0333 996 8333. Opening hours are 8am-6pm Mon-Fri.  For enquiries about this new service, you will be able to email helpline@ncan.co.uk from 4th April.

Fuel Poverty in West Norfolk

Fuel Poverty: West Norfolk included in areas most at risk.

It was recently revealed in a report from ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) and the End Poverty Fuel Coalition that “New data projections reveal that the fuel poverty crisis gripping the country is affecting some areas worse than others.”

The report discovered the following: 

• “Around a third of households in market town King's Lynn and rural West Norfolk will be in fuel poverty (33.8%)”
• With the increase in energy bills coming into effect on 1 April 2022, over 6.3m households (27% of homes in England) will wake up in fuel poverty that morning.” 

(Revealed: The streets where nearly everyone is in fuel poverty – End Fuel Poverty Coalition).

How has this changed from 2020?

In 2020, there were an estimated 13.2 per cent of households (3.16 million) in fuel poverty in England under the Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) metric, down from 13.4 per cent in 2019 (3.18 million). Annual Fuel Poverty Statistics LILEE Report 2022 (2020 data)

However, fuel poverty figures are set to increase even further in 2022:

“The End Fuel Poverty Coalition’s latest estimate is that 6.3m households (26.7%) in England will be in fuel poverty from 1 April 2022 as a result of recent price increases.”

See the full article here.

Why is West Norfolk at risk?

Much of these areas are isolated due to rurality and rely heavily on oil to fuel their homes. With energy costs set to increase and ongoing uncertainty around the oil supply market, this is a worrying time for most people.

Paul Dixon, Rural Evidence Manager at Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE), commented:

“Rural residents have some of the hardest to heat homes. Additionally, about a million households rely on heating oil which has increased in price by more than three times since the same period last year. Government must recognise and address the particular vulnerabilities of people in this situation.”

How we can help

Here at Community Action Norfolk, we are here to help you. We recently published some support and advice for the upcoming energy price rise in an article here. We are the ACRE member for Norfolk – we can provide support and resources for your home, village hall or community centre. We regularly receive advice and resources from ACRE which can be applied to your village hall or community centre. These regular discussions and communications mean that we can support any query you might have.

If you have any concerns or queries, please get in touch via email at office@communityactionnorfolk.org.uk.

ACRE and the End Fuel Poverty Coalition have published resources and support with the rise in energy cost, you can see them here (ACRE) and here (EFPC). There are also other national charities such as National Energy Action (NEA) who may be able to help.

The EFPC have also recently been asking people to tweet their MP to call for action on the energy price increase. Sending direct emails or posts on social media are an effective way of letting your MP know your concerns. We recommend making your message personalised - setting it aside from the other communications that they may receive that have been copied and pasted.

 Gateway Church offers free English lessons to Ukrainians

 Working together to support Ukrainian refugees

BCKLWN and its Lily service is offering further support to individuals arriving from the Ukraine.  Support is being given in the shape of a voucher or items, to fill the gap between their arrival in the area and access to Government support.  The council is setting aside an emergency fund of £7,500 from the West Norfolk Wins lottery to provide support to individuals in need of life essentials. This funding has been raised by individuals who have played the local lottery.

The fund will be administered through its Lily service and any requests for support should be directed to them via their website. Individuals can self-refer through the website, or third parties can refer on their behalf by completing the referral form.  Lily Support Workers will also be able to signpost individuals to any other local or regional support.

In addition The Hanseatic Union and Access are providing wellbeing support for those affected by the conflict in Ukraine. They have received funding from Norfolk Community Foundation to extend the support they can provide in the local community. They will be offering three types of support:

• The workshop, based in Kings Lynn, is delivering sessions in local primary schools to help children process their feelings through drama,
• Support through email or Facebook for people who want to contact multilingual staff to share and talk through their emotions
• Relaxation and social sessions at Access, Hospital Mews, Kings Lynn on 29 March from 7-9pm. A drop-in session for sharing, and learning relaxation skills, to have a cuppa, to give everyone time to chat and connect.

Julie Chaplin, from The Hanseatic Union, said: "The war in Ukraine is a terrible time and we, as always, are here to help everyone in our community. Anyone who feels alone or frightened can get in touch with us and talk, or come to our social event to chat.”

Inna Celinska, from Access, added: "The impact of the war in Ukraine is being felt in all communities. Our main client group is from Eastern Europe. They have been affected significantly due to historical events and close ties with Ukraine and Russia. We would like to offer our support to those who are finding it hard to manage their thoughts or feelings. With additional funding our Project Workers have extra time to provide emotional support, listen to concerns and to talk about worries."

• The Hanseatic Union: Facebook - Hansos Unija - or email Julie@hanseaticunion.co.uk.
• Access: info@accessmigrantsupport.org.uk
• Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk- click on Ukraine Crisis for useful links
• Government Homes for Ukraine campaign

How the sex trade preys on Ukraine's refugees

Advice for churches on supporting
Ukrainian refugees

We've put together a list of key considerations for churches that want to welcome refugees into their communities. Information is updated all the time, but this is a great place to start.