Falkirk charity shortlisted for Scottish award

Forth Valley Sensory Centre is in the running for this year’s Scottish Charity Awards organised by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO).

Its’ ‘Making Sense of Energy Saving’ project has been shortlisted in the climate conscious category.

And while a judging panel will determine the winners under nine distinct categories, members of the public can have their say by voting for their favourite overall entry in the People’s Choice Award – by visiting the SCVO website - before 5:00pm on Friday August 27.

The Forth Valley project helped people cut their energy bills and secured new heating systems, warmer home payments and new windows for a number of deaf and blind people who were struggling to heat their homes and pay their bills during lockdown.

On top of this, with the change to LED lighting in the centre and the advice provided to centre users in braille, workshops, accessible video and BSL, the organisation saved the equivalent of 300 tonnes of CO2.

Jacquie Winning MBE, chief executive of Forth Valley Sensory Centre, said: “This was a ground-breaking project that was a long time in the making.

“Our environment is hugely important to us and we noticed several years ago that people with sensory loss - often elderly as well as managing various disabilities and health challenges - were excluded from information on energy saving and the support they were entitled to receive. Our project changed that.

“We delivered a brilliantly innovative project with measurable results which help change the way some organisations work - for example Home Energy Scotland now integrate BSL and Contact Scotland within their service.

“It’s amazing that all this hard work, much of which took place against the backdrop of Covid-19 has received the recognition it so richly deserves.”

The winners will be announced on October 1 in an online ceremony.

Anna Fowlie, chief executive of SCVO, said: “We had a record-breaking number of entries this year and each one demonstrated just how well the voluntary sector has responded and adapted to changes and restrictions over the past 12 months.”

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