Grants for new oil purchasing clubs

Set up by the Mid & East Antrim, Causeway Coast and Glens cluster of seven councils, including Ballymena, the scheme’s aim is to help tackle fuel poverty.

Established in October, last year, the Glenravel Club was piloted in association with Glenravel Community Association and with funding support provided through the Public Health Agency.

By combining orders from participating members, the oil club negotiated prices with oil suppliers to get the best price. This enabled smaller deliveries to be made to individual members at competitive prices that may not have been available to those outside the scheme.

Funding for the grants scheme has now been secured from the Public Health Agency to allow this pilot scheme to be rolled out to other communities across the seven-council cluster.

Chief Executive of Ballymena Council, and Cluster Chair, Anne Donaghy, said: “During the pilot scheme, local people told us that they are largely dependent on oil to heat their homes and that they struggle to be able to afford to fill their tank, often paying over the odds when forced to buy oil drums at a high cost. The club allows the community and local oil suppliers to work together to make sure that people can better afford to keep warm and well.”

Glenravel oil club member and Chair of the local Community & Residents Association Marion Maguire said: “The scheme has been a real success in Glenravel. We have found that single parents, low income households and pensioners in harder to heat, older properties are benefiting from buying smaller quantities of oil at competitive prices, therefore saving money and budgeting better for other essentials.”

The grants scheme is being administered by Ballymena Borough Council and will enable interested groups to apply for a grant of £700 to cover the set up costs in establishing an oil buying club in their own geographical area. To apply contact Karen Bruce of Ballymena Borough Council on 25660379.