During an event organised by the Council and hosted by Grangetown Generations, which took place on Thursday, 22 September, at Grangetown Library, Community Action Northumberland have provided a free demonstration of a slow cooker, to show the residents the benefits of using this cooking method to save money, time and prepare nutritional meals.
The event was followed by drop-in sessions where organisations such as Welfare Rights, Age UK, MEC Affordable Warmth, Beyond Housing, South Bank Credit Union, RCBC Citizens Advice Bureau, Foot Prints in the Community and England Illegal Money Lending Team – Stop Loan Sharks offered advice, guidance and support for the Cost of Living Crisis.
More similar drop-in sessions with support and advice for Cost of Living Crisis will take place twice a month in order to provide as many residents as possible with guidance and information on all the support available to them. The next drop-in session will take place at Coatham Memorial Hall, on Wednesday 28 September, between 1pm and 4pm.
The Council will be working on an ongoing basis with partners to provide residents with support during this difficult period of time.
The demonstration for using a slow cooker provided residents with the opportunity to learn a new way to save energy as well as money. Slow cookers are one of the most energy-efficient appliances, rated at only 200 watts, which is less then 10% of the rate for some electric oven.
They are also easy to use, only requiring to be loaded with the ingredients for the meal and selecting a setting. There are many recipes adapted to this cooking method which result in meals which are both nutritious and big enough for a family.
Cabinet member for Neighbourhoods and Housing, Cllr Barry Hunt, said: “We are aware of the worries and uncertainties caused by the Cost of Living Crisis amongst our residents and the Council wants to offer its full support to help them. I would like to thank Community Action Northumberland for the demonstration they made and to all the organisations who were present today to offer advice and guidance to residents.”
Ward Member for Grangetown, Cllr Adam Brook, who was involved in the organisation of the event, said: “New technologies have been created in the past years which are more energy efficient and can lead to financial savings in energy bills. I was glad to be involved in raising awareness towards such effective solutions that can be beneficial to our residents.”
A full video of the slow cooker demonstration can be found at The Council presents an energy efficient way to cook nutritious meals - YouTube
To find more information, advice and support, please visit the cost of living webpage at www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/cost-of-living