Blog: A unique set of challenges for householders in Wales

I’m Rebecca, and I’m a Project Development Co-ordinator based in mid Wales (near the border with the Midlands). I have worked for National Energy Action for over a decade, previously living in Brighton. I soon found that clients in Wales may have different challenges.  

Since relocating, I’ve spent time focusing on raising awareness of our support in the North Wales area. This bit of Wales has its own interesting set of challenges. With deprivation and unemployment high in the coastal towns there are also issues around isolation in the beautiful mountains and rural areas. Not being on the gas network is the norm, and the regular power cuts caused by winter storms mean whole villages can have no phone signal, internet or electricity for days at a time. This means support work for clients is often about problem-solving alongside other organisations and has even included arranging for boat dwellers to get coal deliveries to bridges along the Llangollen canal. 

It’s normal to have smaller numbers at the events I attend as the towns themselves are small and spread out, and people often travel long distances to get support. Many of the events I deliver work best as advice surgeries and this approach has strengthened relationships with new partners, built knowledge of what we can do in communities, and provided plenty of opportunities to practice my Welsh (about to start year 3!). 

A great example of our regional partnership work in Wales is our work with Adferiad. Adferiad is Wales’ leading charity for mental ill health and substance use. Recently I’ve linked up with their regional managers and team leads in mid and North Wales. We’re working together to raise awareness of the support National Energy Action can provide for their clients, and I’ve run energy champion training for a team of peer mentors, and a second team has just booked in a date too. Referrals from the peer mentors are already starting to arrive in our inbox. There’s still so much more I can do in the area, many virtual (and real!) mountains to climb, and I’m really enjoying making all the new connections along the way 

At our Wales Fuel Poverty Conference on Thursday 8 October, I’ll be facilitating an interactive workshop with my fellow Welsh Project Development Co-ordinator Gareth. The session will allow fellow advice workers to discuss challenges and solutions to fuel poverty in Wales. You can read the programme here. It would be fantastic to meet more advisers working in Wales there.