I Get To Help People And The Planet - Every day

I’m Anna and I am a Fuel Poverty and Climate Change Project Officer for Groundwork CLM.

My role

I work as part of the Green Doctor team that covers Lancashire. Green Doctors help people and families to stay warm, stay well and save money on household bills.

With soaring energy prices and the cost of inflation, 1 in every 10 households experiences fuel poverty. This means people are faced with the difficult choice of selecting eating, or heating.

Green Doctors are currently working at full capacity to provide support our local communities. We offer free, impartial advice to help people take control of their bills and save energy where possible in the home. This includes:

• advice on paying off debt with energy or water companies
• information on discounts and support schemes that are available
• providing energy saving equipment such as LED lightbulbs, draught proofing and radiator foils, which can help you to significantly reduce your energy use.

Small savings make a huge difference

Most people think that environmental sector roles involve being outdoors. My daily routine is a combination of home visits, telephone consultations and community drop in sessions. Every Thursday from 10am-3pm, we run a ‘Bills Clinic’ at the @TheGrange community hub in Blackpool. It is really well attended and has shown that rising energy costs are affecting more and more people every day. Its really rewarding to be able to help residents take control of their energy bills and reduce the stress from their daily lives during these uncertain times. At a recent clinic, we helped one gentleman reduce his energy bill by £5 per week, which he was delighted about. It doesn’t sound like much, until you consider that this equates to £260 a year. It shows that small changes can make a huge difference.

Groundwork has given me the chance to use my degree and my previous work experience to help people and the planet.

Anna

Joining Groundwork

I graduated from University 2 years ago, with a degree in Ecology and Conservation. My first job was with a renewable energy specialist, which allowed me to gain valuable knowledge and experience in the energy industry. I was delighted when I got the opportunity to join the Green Doctor team. Groundwork has given me the chance to use my degree and my previous work experience to help people and the planet. I love being part of an organisation that changes places and changes lives and I’m really looking forward to developing my career at Groundwork.

Green Careers Are Important

I think Green Careers are more important than ever before. The current energy crisis has highlighted our dependence on fossil fuels and we desperately need to turn to renewable energy sources to help combat this. Highlighting the need for more green jobs to be created will hopefully lead to more green career opportunities to help communities achieve a net zero future.

OUR IMPACT 2021/22