The Community Integrated Care charity has launched ‘Taking Charge’, a campaign to help the social care sector with rising energy bills, by offering free live webinars, videos and education resources providing advice on saving money on its website: TakingChargeEnergy.co.uk 

Research by Scope showed that in February, 4.1 million disabled people paid more than the national average on household energy bill, with almost 800,000 people spending more than £2,500 annually, compared to the then national average of £1,200. These figures have inevitably increased, with the price cap for a typical UK household energy rising from £1,277 to £1,971 a year.

The campaign is led by Oliver Thomason, who has a learning disability and works for Community Integrated Care. He creating a mock horror film featuring energy draining vampire devices lurking in most houses.

Thomason: said: “As someone who has a learning disability, I am passionate about supporting the care sector through this difficult time. I have learned so much about energy usage through co-producing the Taking Charge campaign. I am sure that this project will make a big difference to people’s lives this year.”

 Throughout July, Community Integrated Care is hosting a number of fun and engaging free webinars onTakingChargeEnergy.co.uk for anyone who accesses or provides social care, and is inviting care services to download its free toolkits.

John Hughes, director of partnerships and communities at Community Integrated Care, said: “As one of Britain’s biggest social care charities, we can see all too clearly the impact that the energy crisis is having on the social care sector. We are proud to supporting people through these challenges with a such a creative campaign, that brings to life a range of practical ways that people can reduce their energy bills. Research shows that people who follow our guidance can save hundreds of pounds on their bills, so the potential impact of this campaign is huge.”