Cambuslang service helping the elderly secures funding to expand
Jul 25 2012
by Will Henshaw, Rutherglen Reformer
A CAMBUSLANG service benefiting the elderly has been extended to Hamilton and Blantyre after successfully securing funding.
Lightburn Elderly Association Project (LEAP), who are based in Halfway, were recently awarded just under £270,000 from the Climate Challenge Fund to provide an Energy Efficiency Service to older people in Rutherglen and Cambuslang, and extending that service to the Blantyre, Hamilton and Larkhall areas.
The Make a Difference Project, which has been running for a number years in Cambuslang and Rutherglen, provides energy efficiency advice, advocacy training and practical measures for older people and has already been hailed a major success.
The project duration is from July 1 this year until March 31, 2015.
LEAP’s Ian Symington said that they are delighted to have secured the major funding to allow them to extend the service.
He told the Reformer this week: “Our project is Home Energy Efficiency and Fuel Poverty and is free charge to the elderly community and totally unbiased.
“ Insulation work will be passed to third party contractors but will be monitored and assessed when asked.
“It is also our intention to carry out a feasibility study on possibility of a Social Enterprise to offer a complete home and garden service by ourselves but this will be some way into the project.
“This would create employment within the community and enable us to provide a ‘cradle to grave’ service.”
Tom Greatrex MP provided a letter of support to LEAP when they were applying for the funding.
Mr Greatrex, who is also Labour’s Shadow Energy Minister said: “I am delighted that LEAP have received this additional funding to continue and extend their ‘make a difference’ project.
“I have seen first hand the excellent service they provide and I know of constituents who have used the service and are full of praise for the help they received. It is an independent and local organisation which is both valued and trusted, and they do a tremendous job supporting older people in the Rutherglen and Cambuslang area.
“The Make a Difference project combines both advice and practical measures to help older people make changes to their own homes so that they can become more energy efficient.”
LEAP, which has been in operation for 20 years, is located at 5 Craigallian Avenue.
For more information visit their website on www.leap-project.co.uk.
