A bilingual poster highlighting ways children and young people can keep warm this winter is being distributed to schools across Wales.
The posters, produced by Consumer Focus Wales and Children in Wales, feature ten tips drawn up by young people for young people. The posters are the latest stage of a major project started last year and are being distributed to all schools in Wales in readiness for winter.
Consumer Focus Wales’ Senior Director Maria Battle said: “Consumer Focus Wales is the statutory voice of the consumer in the energy market, and since we were established we have made tackling fuel poverty a priority.
“Last year we funded a project with Children in Wales to capture young people’s experiences and perceptions of fuel poverty. One of the main recommendations from the young people, was that there should be more advice and information available to them about how to deal with fuel poverty and the impact it can have on young lives. This poster is our attempt to provide that information, so that young people can have access to the information they themselves think will be helpful to get through the winter.”
Sean O’Neill, Policy Director for Children in Wales, said: “Far too many young people in Wales are living in fuel poverty and cold homes. The impact on them can be profound. It damages their school grades, their health and wellbeing. And it damages their life chances.
“By talking to children in schools across Wales, we gathered real evidence of how cold homes are effecting children’s lives. And by listening to their experiences, and asking for their opinions, we have been able to put together a poster which gives children top tips for tackling the problems they may face – we hope that schools will put the posters in prominent positions, so that as many young people as possible can benefit.”
As part of the project Consumer Focus Wales and Children in Wales also produced a film, which can be seen here: http://www.childreninwales.org.uk/areasofwork/childpoverty/fuelpoverty/index.html
Notes:
The 10 Top Tips for children and young people to stay warm posters can be seen here . They have been sent to all primary and secondary schools in Wales.
Click to watch the film Keeping Warm This Winter
The full written report with recommendations for policy makers is available here.
The film received its first public showing at the Senedd on 9 Feb, 2011.
Consumer Focus Wales and Children in Wales are both founder members of the Fuel Poverty Coalition Cymru. http://www.fuelpovertycharterwales.org.uk/ and members of the End Child Poverty Network Cymru http://www.endchildpovertycymru.org.uk
