How Your Support Transforms Lives: Terry’s Journey to Warmth and Wellbeing

When you choose to work with The Compliance People, you’re not just ensuring compliance for your business; you’re actively participating in transforming lives. 

As a social enterprise, 100% of profits generated by our business are gift-aided directly to our parent charity, Newground Together.

Our charity operates a number of successful programmes, one of which is the Energy Advice Workshops. It was at one of these workshops, held at Colne Citadel, where our team met Terry. During the workshop, Terry shared with us that he was bitterly cold, his hands clasping a warm cup of coffee for comfort.

Through speaking with Terry, the team found out he lived in a private rented property without electricity. He also told them that he was getting nowhere despite trying for months to get help from his landlord. Unfortunately, Terry was also unable to contact his electric company as he had no credit on his phone. 

Terry’s situation was dire: he resorted to eating cold food and was struggling with alcohol. Eager to offer the best possible support, the team, with Terry’s permission, initiated contact with his electricity provider.

Having explained the situation to the electricity provider, it turned out that Terry had not cashed in the monthly vouchers he had been sent from the government for around £67 per month (EBSS- Energy Bill support scheme). The energy provider arranged for the vouchers to be resent out straight away.

Furthermore, the team helped Terry set up an account for a meter at a Pay Point shop. They also gave him essential items from the Warmer Together Programme, including a hat, gloves, a throw, and a snoodie, to help him stay warm. Terry was informed that the team would return to Colne Citadel the following week, and he was invited to come back and share his progress with them.

The following week, the team returned to see a different Terry who exclaimed: “I cannot tell you how much your assistance has helped”. His appearance was also remarkably different; he was wearing clean clothes and smiling. He said the difference the team had made was huge and we were pleased to hear he was no longer cold at home.

Greener Together referred Terry to the Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Nelson, which assisted him in obtaining Fuel Vouchers. Additionally, they introduced him to Andy’s Man Club and Minds Matter, providing options for further support should he require it.

Several months later, Terry has developed effective coping strategies to manage any challenges he encounters. He’s now volunteering at Colne Citadel, contributing to their vegetable garden. This role has also allowed him to broaden his network of support.