Ese’s story: getting support with damp and mould

Through the Lightning Reach portal, Ese received:

• Energy-saving lightbulbs and draught excluders through the National Energy Foundation

• A £50 energy voucher from YES Energy

• A referral from Pocket Power for energy advice and specialist damp & mould support

“When you move into a new area, you're not aware of what support there is. I was just clueless about what was available.”

When Ese moved into a new property in Lambeth with her two children, she quickly began dealing with problems in the home, including damp and mould and high electricity costs. The property runs entirely on electricity with communal heating, which made energy bills particularly expensive.

The situation was especially worrying because one of Ese’s sons has allergies, and the damp environment was causing him to have nosebleeds.

“The major problem was the damp and mould condensation in the house. We don’t have gas so I had to heat the home through an electric heater, it was really expensive.”

Finding support through Lightning Reach

Ese first discovered Lightning Reach through a neighbour who had been signposted to the platform by Lambeth Council. After having a good experience finding support through the portal, the neighbour recommended it to Ese when she mentioned the challenges she was facing in her new home. Having just moved into the area, Ese didn’t know what local support was available or where to start looking.

“When you move into a new area, you're not aware of what support there is. I was just clueless about what was available.”

After creating an account on Lightning Reach, Ese received:

• Practical support including energy-saving lightbulbs and draught excluders through the National Energy Foundation.

• A £50 energy voucher from YES Energy to help with her electricity costs. 

• A referral to LEAP via Pocket Power, who provided further advice on energy use and guidance related to damp and mould in the home.

Practical support to manage damp, mould and energy use

As part of the support she received, Ese was given practical advice on reducing energy use around the home. Simple changes such as switching appliances off at the wall and being more mindful about electricity use helped her better manage her household energy consumption.

Although energy costs are still high, these small changes have helped reduce some of the pressure.

“It's been super helpful. The different bits of support together have really helped me a lot and I've learned a lot from the advice.”

Before using Lightning Reach, Ese had no idea that support like this existed. Being able to access several organisations through one platform made it much easier to find help during a stressful time.

Now, she believes more people should know that support is available when they need it.

“I'm sure that lots of people are struggling. People need to know that this help is there if they need it!” 

Get help today

Could you or someone you know use a helping hand building up your financial resilience? Create your account today at www.lightningreach.org/application-portal to see what you're eligible for.