A special “Awarm” Training Session will be held at 5.30 on Tue 13 January 2009 at Butterstile Primary School - Children’s Centre.

As the eyes and ears of Prestwich community you may have access to vulnerable people living in cold, damp unhealthy homes? If so this training is for you!

The new Energy Support Officer for Bury Council and part of my remit is to implement the Affordable Warmth Strategy action plan which aims to reduce fuel poverty, this is where a household needs to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel & power. In 2005 it was estimated that over 10255 households in Bury were in fuel poverty. Due to recent price rises this figure is likely to have dramatically increased.

AWARM (Affordable Warmth Access Referral Mechanism) training can give you the expertise to recognise potential fuel poverty within households that you visit & enable you to make a simple referral to provide help to improve the health, living conditions & quality of life of the householder. The following services may be available for the householder from this referral:

- Grant for central heating, loft Insulation and cavity wall insulation
- Benefit entitlement checks
- Debt advice
- Home fire safety check including free smoke alarms

Improved home insulation & heating can reduce the incidence of associated health problems that are exacerbated by living in cold conditions, such as asthma, arthritis & cardiovascular problems & will help to eliminate excess winter deaths. In Bury, in the winter of 2002-2003, there were 80 excess winter deaths!

We do not want residents living in Prestwich to suffer from not being able to afford heating so if you can attend this session it would be useful. More information from Carran O’Grady