Freeze out fuel poverty: Case study

→ Macmillan gives out grants to help cancer patients in financial

hardship

→ Over 40% of people receiving a grant from Macmillan received

help towards their heating

→ In 2011, Macmillan gave out more than £2m in fuel poverty

grants

Freeze out fuel poverty

→ 59% of people with cancer have used more

fuel since diagnosis

→ 1 in 5 turn off their heating even when cold

because they are worried about their fuel

bills

→ Of these 91% said this was due to money

worries

→ One third still felt cold even with the

heating on

Key stats

→ In 2010 the government announced a new scheme called the

Warm Home Discount. In November 2010 a consultation was

launched to decide who should benefit from the scheme.

→ Our calls: People who are terminally ill should automatically

get the rebate and people with cancer most at most at risk

of fuel poverty should be eligible to apply and prioritised for

the rebate

Our campaign

→ People don’t understand why the link between cancer and fuel

poverty

→ Low awareness of the proposed Warm Home Discount scheme

→ The campaign has been running since 2008 and needed to be

refreshed

→ To influence the consultation we need to show support for our

calls

→ Short timescale to influence the consultation which ran over

Christmas

Key challenges

→ Ensure cancer patients are eligible for the Warm Home Discount

→ Mobilise new and existing campaigners

→ Raise awareness of the links between fuel poverty and cancer

Campaign objectives

The site – www.infi-knit.org.uk

Campaign support

→ Emails prompted action

→ Segmented emails (new and existing supporters)

→ Opportunity to take follow up actions

→ Ability to easily share the campaign

Facebook and Twitter updates, links to site

Facebook and Twitter feedback

→ Support from partners like Boots, New Look and

Poundland for the campaign

→ Links from partner intranet sites to campaign site

with editorial

→ Widgets and banners for bloggers

→ Support from partners like Boots, New Look and

Poundland for the campaign

→ Links from partner intranet sites to campaign site

with editorial

→ Widgets and banners for bloggers

Corporate Partners

Results

→ 5,093 people signed the petition, making the scarf over

127m long

→ 1,800 direct responses to the WHD consultation

→ Recruited 3,000 new campaigners

→ 40,000 visitors to Infi-Knit

Campaign actions

→ 6 national print articles and 41 regional news articles

→ Featured on 40 blogs and more than 20 websites

→ 4million people read about Infi-Knit

Media

→ A scarf, symbolic of Infi-Knit, was handed to the Minister responsible for fuel

poverty

→ Minister agreed to host a meeting with Macmillan, energy companies and

Ofgem

→ 4 sections of the consultation response included specific mention of cancer

patients

→ People receiving treatment for cancer (on certain benefits) used as a case study

in the consultation response

Minister’s response

Any questions?