Friday 29 November, whilst being Black Friday, is also Fuel Poverty Awareness Day. In celebration and favour of both events, Robin Hood Energy (a not-for-profit energy company) has decided to provide free Christmas energy for some of their most vulnerable customers.
This will be achieved by topping up the SMART prepayment cards of those customers who have to regularly engage in 'self-rationing' (or self-disconnect) with £10, so Christmas Day can be enjoyed without as much stress and worry.
The CEO of Robin Hood Energy, Gail Scholes, said "there is a lot of media interest in the high street and online bargains around Black Friday and a lot of us take this and the festive period of spending for granted. However, for many, even the hot meal and the warm cost surroundings of Christmas are not given. We know that there are so many families out there who will need to make a difficult choice between heating their home and having a meal this Christmas".
"We couldn't just stand by and let this happen. We want all our customers to feel warm, secure and comfortable this Christmas, so our wonderful staff have raised enough money to allow us to top up those customers who may be experiencing financial hardship and may find it difficult to top up their prepayment meters this Christmas".
In order to raise the money to fund this charity, Robin Hood Energy staff have been encouraged to wear a Christmas Jumper, and to donate what they can to this wonderful cause, in order to provide help to those customers that need it the most. As well as this, the Company has encouraged its many council partners throughout the country to run a similar campaign, so that vulnerable customers in these areas may also receive help. In total, seven brands across the country, ranging from Southampton to Edinburgh, will be joining in to help in their respective areas.
A representative from one of the first local authority brands to join the case, White Rose Energy, has commented that "it's initiatives like this that make us want to work with Robin Hood Energy. We share a common ethos to support the most vulnerable people in our city, as well as across the UK. Being able to step in and support our customers at such an important time of the year is heart-warming".
On top of this, Robin Hood Energy will also be announcing the creation of a specialist Vulnerability Team, which are to be tasked with identifying and subsequently working with those customers who may be experiencing either financial hardship or difficulty.
