Since the project launched in January 2021, Rotherfed’s ‘Making Our Money Go Further’ team have been busy helping groups and individuals around money matters. Their approach has always been to support the community to develop activities that they felt would support their local community with matters relating to money.
Quite early into the project it became apparent that what mattered most to many, if not all those they were engaging with, was the pending cost of living crisis. Technical terms like ‘price cap’ became mainstream and the whole issue of energy price increases became scary. These money worries paralysed local people’s ability to cope. By hosting group discussions to support each other and pass on knowledge to friends and family, the approach helped remove the stigma of money worries amongst users and has ‘normalised’ conversations about money. This has been a big step forward for everyone.
Nowadays it is practical solutions that people often contact them about: supporting uniform swaps, skills exchange days, community allotments, budgeting hints and tip and recipes swaps and taste challenges. These all help towards reducing our outgoings as well as learning new skills.
For anyone needing 1-2-1 support, Citizens Advice Rotherham and District, are a partner in the project and there to give the advice, support and guidance when needed.
The project has also recruited volunteer money champions to help spread the information and support in the communities that they are part of too. Their recent training day was a great success with volunteers going away feeling more confident about the impact their help will have on people.
For more information, please email info@rotherfed.org or call 01709 368515. You can find information at www.rotherhamfederation.org.