“Winter would be very bleak if it wasn’t for the Green Doctor”

Christmas is often thought of as a time of joy, spent with loved ones – but for many, it can be one of the toughest times of the year.

The support from Green Doctor gives hope to people like Trudy, aged 65 from Nottinghamshire who has no family nearby and no local friends to lean on – making it even harder to battle rising energy bills and everyday costs.

Trudy was contacted by Marie, a Groundwork Green Doctor, after struggling both financially and emotionally due to rising energy bills and the pressure of living costs. Marie offered to visit Trudy’s home and support her over the winter to reduce everyday energy usage and expenses.

During the visit, the Green Doctor Marie took the time to listen carefully to Trudy’s concerns, offering reassurance and a listening ear. She promised to do everything she could to help Trudy get through what was becoming a difficult festive season. Together, they tackled the issues causing Trudy so much stress.

To start, Trudy was given some useful energy saving advice and measures by the Green Doctor which would make her home energy efficient whilst reducing her bills! Marie then provided Trudy with an emergency food voucher to ease some of the worry around food insecurity during the Christmas period.

Trudy reached out to Marie again in January, sharing how the festive season had left her feeling very low. To make matters worse, her cooker had broken, adding to her distress.

Fortunately, things started to look up when the Green Doctor was able to arrange a new cooker for Trudy through grant funding that Trudy hadn’t known she was eligible for! This small but meaningful gesture has given Trudy a renewed sense of hope as she steps into the New Year.

Thanks to the Green Doctor programme, Trudy’s winter was made a little warmer – not just in her home, but in her heart.

Trudy said: “I can’t tell you what this means to people like me that are disabled with no family or no one to turn to. If it wasn’t for the Green Doctor team and Groundwork, things would have been very bleak for me. Most of us feel alone and struggle to survive. The support Marie gave me, was not just beneficial to me around my practical challenges, but also, on a more personal level, made me feel seen and heard.”

Marie said: “Every day of my life I exchange working as a Green Doctor makes me happy as I know that we are making a distinct and measurable difference to the lives of the people we support.”

For more information and to make a free appointment, visit the website: https://www.groundwork.org.uk/fivecounties/green-doctor/