Rural charity RSABI offers lifeline for fuel-poor

With estimates indicating that every second person living in the Scotland's rural areas suffers from fuel poverty, the onset of winter means there is likely to be keen interest in the launch of this year's Help for Heating fund by countryside charity RSABI.

Many people living in rural areas find themselves in fuel poverty. Picture: John Devlin

The charity is offering a one-off grant of £300 to those who are actively working or who have worked fulltime on the land for at least ten years but can no longer do so due to age and/or disability, and who now find themselves in fuel poverty.

Fuel poverty is defined as spending more than 10 per cent of the household’s income on energy bills, and, according to the charity, is a problem that many people living in rural areas face.

Mags Granger, the charity’s welfare manager, said the organisation was disappointed to discover that there were more people living in fuel poverty in Scotland despite a commitment by the Scottish Government in 2003 to eliminate fuel poverty by November 2016. She said that according to a recent report one in three Scots were in fuel poverty.

“The situation is worse in rural areas where fuel poverty effects one in two people. RSABI have launched the Help for Heating campaign to offer assistance to those who are in fuel poverty and meet the criteria for assistance. We urge those affected to get in touch,” said Granger.

The charity can be contacted on 0300 1114166 or at [e-mail]. All calls are handled in confidence.

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