Severn Trent £1m emergency donations
You may have seen that we’re donating £1m to support our communities at this difficult time. Over the last couple of weeks we’ve been working with local authorities and community foundations across our region and we’ve managed to get out nearly half a million pounds so far to support charities doing a fantastic job supporting the most vulnerable. From food banks, to mental health services, to those befriending the elderly, we’ve been amazed to hear some of the amazing work that is going on across our region at the moment and it’s great that we can offer our thanks via donations.
The other half a million is being set aside as part of a recovery fund, to support those who have struggled through all of this and give them a helping hand to get them back off their feet.
You can find out more information here: www.stwater.co.uk/communityfund.
I’d also like to take this opportunity to share how else we’re supporting our vulnerable customers. You can find all the information on how we’re responding to coronavirus here, but I’d like to pull out a couple more below:
Priority Service Register
In these difficult times, we’re also asking vulnerable customers to sign up to our Priority Service Register, to make sure those who need extra help in case of supply issues are supported. Our Priority Service Register is used to support customers with special requirements to give them a better, more personalised service. We’re encouraging customers, friends or family to let us know of anyone who might benefit from being checked on, or who needs a certain supply in case of an issue on the network, particularly those that need water 24/7, or who require alternative bills or password protection schemes.
You can find more information on the support we can offer here: www.stwater.co.uk/priority
Big Difference Scheme
We also want to remind our customers that we have a scheme in place to help struggling customers to pay their bills. Through our Big Difference Scheme, run in partnership with the Severn Trent Trust Fund and Citizens Advice Coventry, customers could receive between 10% and 90% off the average Severn Trent water bill. The scheme is open to every Severn Trent customer, regardless of your age, employment status, or whether you receive benefits or not. Customers don’t need to be behind on their bills or on benefits to apply and eligibility is based on an assessment of income and expenditure.
You can find more information and how to apply here: https://www.stwater.co.uk/my-account/help-when-you-need-it/help-with-paying-your-bill/big-difference-scheme/
It would be fantastic if you could help us share the news of our charitable donations to those in need, as well as help us encourage vulnerable people to sign up to our Priority Service Register and share details of the Big Difference Scheme to those worrying about paying their bills.