Cost-of-living support from Rochdale AFC Community Trust

Date published: 27 November 2023

Since April, the Rochdale AFC Community Trust has been supporting Dale fans and local residents with cost-of-living support.

Residents came together at recent event to look at the challenges posed by the increasing cost of living and showed its significance in providing essential resources.

The event, attended by 52 residents, provided vital free information and directed people toward various resources aimed at improving their quality of life.

Jane Cats, of Back o’ th’ Moss Community Centre, engaged the audience with a slow cookery demonstration, imparting valuable tips on managing expenses while maintaining a healthy diet.

National Energy Action offered invaluable assistance addressing residents' queries and concerns, and providing practical solutions to alleviate the financial strains of energy prices.

Liz Cotterill, the community trust’s inclusion co-ordinator, organised the event, which was commended by Citizens Advice’s representative as “the best yet” and also spoke about priority services. The event was supported by Living Well.

"Thank you to everyone for joining us and contributing to an event aimed at bolstering our community," said Liz. "Your presence and engagement were truly appreciated."

Participants expressed their appreciation for the practical insights gained during the event, expressing optimism in their newfound ability to navigate the challenges presented by the rising cost of living.

Rochdale AFC Community Trust began supporting Dale fans and local residents with cost-of-living support in April this year.

Support began with a cost-of-living networking session in April, bringing together various groups such as Back o’ th’ Moss Community Centre, companies, priority services and individuals.

The event provided an opportunity for them to share information about their experiences, resources, and challenges.

From here, the community trust has also provided one-to-one support to help people check for eligibility for services such as Pension Credit (which allows people to save money on their bills, including their TV licence and council tax), the Winter Fuel Allowance and other benefits.

Liz says this one-to-one support has saved people thousands of pounds.

She said: “We have supported 177 people in accessing benefits they didn’t know they were entitled to. This is an estimated £11,177 per person.”

One lifelong Dale fan, Paul, said: “I didn’t know half of what the club and the trust do until I saw at an open day. Helping so many fans and our community is brilliant.”

Another said: “Without Liz, I wouldn’t have known my mum was entitled to any support in way of pension credit, we applied, and she got it. This meant she could get reduced council tax, and I was so happy. Mum’s got carers now too, and getting better every day.”

The community trust also runs the Dale Food Pantry and created a full page of printable, free resources on its website which include cupboard item recipes, plus hints and tips for all.

Leaflets with this information have also been included in every food pantry bag, whilst QR codes and match day programmes have also provided information about saving money with smart meters in a more accessible form.

One resident, Joyce*, 82, met Liz at a local craft and chat group where she took a leaflet home and shared with her daughter, Emma*.

Emma contacted Liz and asked for help, as she no longer lived in the area and her mum needed some help as she was at risk of falls.

“We referred Joyce and Emma to Rochdale Borough Council’s Adult Care, Citizens Advice and energy care services and they had a keyworker within three days,” Liz explained.

Emma said she was “so very grateful” for the assistance, and had had a phone call from Adult Care that same day.

The Rochdale AFC Community Trust continues to work alongside Citizens Advice to provide accurate and up-to-date information.

Liz added: “We’ve hosted online sessions, and in person sessions out in the community including slow cookery demonstrations.

“We’ve upskilled nearly all the RAFC club and trust staff to enable them to support our community better too, and we have converted our resources into Urdu, to meet the needs of our community.”

From here, the community trust aims to continue to share resources, and will be working to upskill people with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.

“I’m not an expert,” Liz concluded, “but we all have something to share. By hosting cost of living upskilling sessions, we can enable people to share knowledge and help each other as well as themselves.”

For more information please visit www.rochdaleafccommunity.org/cost-of-living-information/ or, alternatively, email Liz: liz.cotterill@rochdaleafc.co.uk

• Citizens Advice 0808 278 7803 or www.casort.org
• National Energy Action www.nea.org.uk