More than 2.5 million households in the U.K. are experiencing fuel poverty,
being forced to choose between eating and heating. Community charity Groundwork’s
flagship fuel poverty relief programme is called The Green Doctors, and it’s
designed to help the most vulnerable households save energy, stay warm and
reduce their energy bills. They provide a crucial lifeline to many U.K. households,
and as the cost of living surges, so does the demand for their service.
“We are incredibly proud to make
a donation to enable Groundwork
to expand and enhance its Green
Doctor programme,” says Hannah
Baines, Avison Young U.K.’s
Community and Charity Manager.
“In 2023, with the help of supporters
like us, Groundwork was able to upskill
their advisors across a range of U.K.
regions, expand their service into new
areas and reach more vulnerable people.
Overall, broadening the services that
the Green Doctors can provide during
home visits,” she adds proudly.
Highlights:
Nine staff trained as Domestic
Energy Assessors
Five staff achieved City & Guilds
Level 3 in Energy Awareness.
Nine Green Doctors completed
Retrofit Assessor training.
Green Doctors visit people in their homes,
provide remote support (by telephone
and online) attend community events,
deliver energy efficiency advice, promote
behavior change, and install energy-saving
and warm home measures. Some of the
services offered by the Green Doctors
include identifying causes of heat loss in
the home, helping to identify and tackle
damp or mould problems, offering useful
tips for saving energy, installing small
energy efficiency measures, such as draft
excluders and supporting people to
switch energy providers to save money.
“The support from Avison Young was
one of the most strategically important
donations we had into Green Doctor
in 2023. The focus on our staff base,
helping us to upskill our community
officers to deliver Green Doctor, and
helping Green Doctors to achieve higher
levels at Domestic Energy Assessor and
Retrofit Assessor/Coordinator grades
has been absolutely invaluable to us
as an organization. It has increased
our confidence to be able to provide
a deeper level of service and support
to our beneficiaries and is leading us
into interesting new territories around
retrofit programmes.” Joe McIndoe,
Partnerships Manager, Groundwork
For more information on Groundwork’s
Green Doctor programme, together
with tips and advice on keeping
your home warm this winter, visit
http://www.groundwork.org.uk/
“The support from Avison
Young was one of the most
strategically important
donations we had into
Green Doctor in 2023.”Joe McIndoe, Partnerships Manager,
Groundwork
Meet Jack Holmes, Avison Young Green Doctor programme beneficiary
Jack, 27, is one of the fortunate
beneficiaries of Avison Young funding that
enabled him to realise a Green Doctor
career with Groundwork West Midlands.
How’d Jack get there?
After completing a master’s degree at
university in environmental sustainability,
Jack joined Groundwork in the summer
of 2021 through their Kickstart
programme, which focuses on helping
young people develop the critical skills
needed for a new green economy.
Through this programme, Jack worked
with the land team at country parks near
Stoke, and also supported the Green
Doctor project and project manager
Dean with related administration tasks.
This exposure left such a positive
impression that when funding to train as
a Green Doctor job came up, Jack saw
it as an apt opportunity to continuing
making impact - applying his skills
and background in the energy sector
directly to fruitful and satisfying work
helping people and communities.
What kinds of specialized training did Jack gain access to?
Key to the program, Avison Young helped
provide opportunities for Green Doctor
instruction, beginning with technical
training in Fuel Poverty Awareness, which
covered advice provision and the energy
saving methods needed to get started.
Jack was also trained in Energy
Performance Certificates, basic energy
assessments and retrofit assessments
which would allow him to deliver a
wider range of techniques to help
organisations as well as people in
households with their needs.
Other topics of training included learning
about damp and mold, financial assistance
and fuel debt, which are frequently
mentioned on phone calls and home
visits. This provided Jack with the right
tools and knowledge to be able to apply
his learning and work in the field.
The best part of a Green Doctor job like Jack’s?
Being able to work through a big
billing or energy issue from start to
finish to achieve a successful outcome
for someone who really needs it.
Take Jack’s one client, for example, who
was suffering from thousands of pounds
of debt and meter readings that had
been carried out incorrectly for years.
Enter Green Doctor Jack who not only
managed to wipe the debt away but
was also able to find a way to get them
a positive credit on their account.
