The use of food banks has become, and continues to be, increasingly common as the cost of living crisis drags on.
However, in rural areas Northumberland, people in fuel poverty don’t just need food, with many homes relying on so-called ‘old technology’ to heat their homes this winter – like wood-burning stoves and open fires . And to make them work, families need wood.
In response, a Northumberland Log Bank is preparing for its fourth winter of deliveries from its sites in Crookham, Ford and Etal, Wooler, Capheaton and Haydon Bridge. Now with more than 20 volunteers, they will spend the winter months processing and delivering wood to the county’s most vulnerable people and communities, with 46% of the county’s population of 323,800 living in rural areas.
Kate Thick, who is from Capheaton and one of the founding trustees of the wood banks, said: ‘We are needed for the same reason a food bank is needed in an urban area, there is a high incidence energy poverty in Northumberland, so we are focusing only on rural Northumberland, we are particularly concerned about the rural isolated, the elderly, the disabled and the very old.”
In Northumberland, more than a quarter of households (26.9%), including around 16,000 in rural areas, are considered to be fuel poor. This is where necessary fuel costs account for more than 10% of income – far more than the average for fuel-poor households across England at 10.9%.
Due to the increase in energy poverty, the number of those who depend on the wood bank has increased. Last winter over 200 households were looked after, but over 300 inquiries have already come in for this winter, with Kate saying “more and more referrals” are coming in every day.
She continued: “We’re just inundated with calls from people who need help, and a lot of the people we take logs from are referred by organizations like Northumberland County CouncilCommunity Action Northumberland and food banks too, of course. »
Managing such a service in an area like Northumberland poses enormous challenges. With no paid staff and volunteers having to travel long distances to deliver logs, rising petrol and diesel prices have meant that volunteers have seen their own fuel bills rise, despite being paid at the standard kilometer rate whenever possible.
(Image: Northumberland Newspaper Bank)
Kate continued: “A lot of people are off the grid. Geographically, because of the size of Northumberland, it’s more sparsely populated, so I think it’s very difficult at times. A lot of people don’t have petrol when isolated in rural areas and they still rely on what we call old technology, but right now it’s essential technology, like open fires and wood stoves.”
However, the biggest challenge is getting enough volunteers to donate. Many have full-time jobs, like Kate does as an acupuncturist and physiotherapist. She added: “Probably the biggest challenge is getting enough volunteers to do the deliveries, keeping up with demand.
“And finding and reaching the most vulnerable people because they are so often hidden away. But our volunteers are fantastic, and we hope to increase the number so we can handle all the deliveries this winter.”
The newspaper bank relied on donations, with Kate citing Northumberland Estates, Ford and Etal, Wallington and Capheaton Estates as giving generously. Bedmax, a company based in Belford which makes bedding for horses, also made a donation to the oldest boy branch, with Kate saying, “We are extremely, extremely grateful and it’s really heartwarming to see the kind of generosity that has been extended to us.”
Tim Smalley, Managing Director of Bedmax, said: “The Northumberland Log Bank is going to be even more imperative this winter, given the huge rise in energy and fuel prices. In a rural community like Northumberland, many houses are not particularly energy efficient and are difficult, and often expensive, to keep warm. Log Banks are a bit of a relief for people worried about heating their homes and we are happy to be able to help with this by providing them with wood.
Lack of energy efficiency in homes is another factor Kate brings up when talking about how to tackle energy poverty. It’s not a problem she sees going away anytime soon, but she suggests a two-pronged approach could help alleviate it in the future.
She concluded: “I think we need to put in place more community energy programs which can involve things that people don’t like, for example solar panels in fields, wind turbines and a massive effort to improve the quality housing.
“It has to be a two-pronged approach, one of which is to improve the quality of homes and their ability to withstand extreme cold and heat. The second is to come up with systems that can produce energy. energy more locally so that it is controllable and more accessible.”
For more information on the Northumberland Timber Bank, visit website.
In your opinion, what could be done to fight fuel poverty in rural areas? Let us know!
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