Charity

Wales’ winter of woe: Daily deaths due to cold homes

Published

1 month ago

March 17, 2024

A RECENT shocking report by Greenpeace UK has unveiled a grim statistic: three lives are lost daily in Wales to the bitter cold of inadequately insulated homes. This harrowing figure comes in the wake of the Conservative government’s drastic reductions in home insulation funding, a decision made in 2013 that has since cast a long shadow over the nation’s public health and energy efficiency.

The report, which scrutinizes official data, points to an alarming toll of over 4,000 excess winter deaths in the last decade attributed to cold, damp living conditions. This spike in mortality coincides with former Prime Minister David Cameron’s contentious move to “cut the green crap,” effectively gutting subsidies for loft and wall insulation. The aftermath was immediate and severe, with government-backed installations plummeting from 2.3 million in 2012 to a mere 300,000 in 2013 across the UK, marking a nearly 90% decrease.

Despite the clear and present danger of cold homes, successive Conservative administrations have yet to adequately address the funding shortfall for energy efficiency measures. Last year’s figures are particularly damning, with only 160,000 installations taking place, a far cry from the needed numbers to combat this silent crisis.

In a dramatic display of protest and remembrance, Greenpeace activists transformed Victoria Tower Gardens, adjacent to the Houses of Parliament, into a symbolic cemetery. Hundreds of headstones, crafted from insulation boards, bore the names of the 70,463 individuals who have succumbed to cold-related deaths since 2013. Accompanying this poignant memorial was an eight-meter-long funeral wreath, starkly declaring, “Cold Homes Cost Lives.”

Paul Morozzo, a leading voice in Greenpeace UK’s campaign against fuel poverty, condemned the government’s inertia, highlighting the dire consequences of failing to upgrade the nation’s cold, damp, and draughty housing stock. The call to action is clear: an annual investment of at least £6 billion is imperative to end this national disgrace and stem the tide of avoidable deaths.

The UK’s housing, notorious for its lack of energy efficiency, stands as the least effective in Western Europe, exacerbating the plight of low-income families and contributing significantly to fuel poverty. Current estimates suggest 3.17 million UK households are ensnared in this predicament, with poorly insulated homes also imposing a staggering £850 million yearly burden on the NHS in England alone.

The environmental implications are equally dire, with residential housing accounting for approximately 14% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions. A comprehensive national retrofit insulation scheme emerges as a crucial strategy in the battle against the climate crisis and the quest to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The protest also saw participation from representatives of Fuel Poverty Action, echoing the urgent need for government intervention to lower energy bills and combat fuel poverty through significant funding for home insulation.

In a twist of political irony, the Labour Party, once vocal in its commitment to investing the £6 billion annually advocated by Greenpeace, has recently dialed back its insulation funding promises by over 70%. Greenpeace now demands a reinstatement of these commitments in Labour’s forthcoming election manifesto, underscoring the critical role of political will in addressing this multifaceted crisis.

As the insulation boards from today’s protest find a second life in retrofitting an uninsulated home, the message is clear: the cost of inaction is measured in human lives. The time for decisive action and comprehensive policy overhaul is now, lest the cold homes crisis continues to claim its silent victims.

Charity

New Quay RNLI’s inshore lifeboat rescues stranded 26ft yacht

Published

24 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Tom Sinclair

NEW QUAY RNLI’s inshore lifeboat was launched on service at 08:32 this morning to assist a 26ft yacht in difficulty a quarter of a mile from New Quay harbour.

Launching with four volunteer crew members, the D-class lifeboat, the Will Morgan, quickly located the vessel, with one person on board.

Simon Rigby, New Quay RNLI’s helm said, “The yacht had lost all means of propulsion, both sail and engine, and was unable to recover a fouled anchor.

“Having assessed the situation we decided that the best course of action was to take the vessel under tow to New Quay harbour. We placed two members of our crew on board, disconnected the anchor chain and began the tow.

“Having safely berthed the yacht alongside the harbour wall, we returned to station just after 09:30.”

Charity

New Quay RNLI stalwart volunteer receives award from High Sheriff of Dyfed

Published

2 days ago

April 25, 2024

Tom Sinclair

RECENTLY, a long-standing member of New Quay RNLI, Tim Richards received an award from the High Sheriff of Dyfed, Professor Medwin Hughes for valuable services to the community.

The High Sheriff Awards are a mark of distinction and recognition given to volunteers, groups and public servants based in Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire who are making a significant contribution to society through enhancing safety and cohesion in our communities.

Stalwart volunteer of New Quay RNLI from shore crew to fundraising, Tim has been part of the crew for over 16 years and has held many positions from shore crew to Chair of New Quay RNLI Fundraising Group including working overseas but always returning to New Quay RNLI.

Tim, aged 74, said, “I was truly honoured to receive my services to the community award from The High Sheriff of Dyfed, Professor Hughes. I’ve been part of New Quay RNLI for over 16 years and encourage anyone to take part. It’s a great institution to be involved with. I’ve always had strong connections to the sea being a keen kayaker and boatman and I’ll continue to support New Quay RNLI as being a volunteer and saving lives at sea is deeply rooted in me.”

Alice Coleman, RNLI Community Manager added, “We would also like to congratulate Tim for his well-deserved award and thank him for all his hard work over the years with the New Quay RNLI crew and with the New Quay RNLI fundraising group. It’s volunteers like Tim who are an integral part of the organisation and ensure the RNLI can continue to save lives at sea.”

Charity

RNLI prepare for summer with medical training exercise in Pembrokeshire

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Tom Sinclair

RNLI lifeguards from the north Pembrokeshire team, volunteers from St Davids RNLI and St Davids Coastguard Rescue Team came together at Whitesands beach on Thursday (18 April), for a multi-agency medical training exercise. Pembrokeshire RNLI lifeguards and St Davids volunteer lifeboat crew took part in a multi-agency medical training exercise alongside St Davids Coastguard Rescue Team in preparation for the upcoming summer season.

The Coastal Medicine programme was set up six years ago at the suggestion of clinicians from Hywel Dda University Health Board. The aim of the programme is train lifeguards, lifeboat crews and HM Coastguard teams in working collaboratively when responding to medical incidents on the coast.

Clinicians from Hywel Dda work with RNLI staff to design exercises simulating mass-casualty incidents on land and afloat. The exercises allow lifeguards, lifeboat crews and Coastguard teams to practise and test their rescue response and casualty care.

The simulated incident at Whitesands involved a medical incident at sea leading to a boat going out of control and ploughing through a group of swimmers causing multiple injuries. RNLI lifeguards responded to casualties on the beach while St Davids inshore and all-weather lifeboat crews dealt with the situation at sea. St Davids Coastguard Rescue supported RNLI colleagues as they would in a real-life scenario.

In total there were six casualties to treat, all of whom were given the immediate medical care by the teams on scene. As in a real-life scenario, they were then prepared to be handed over to the care of the Ambulance Service.

Roger Smith, RNLI Area Lifesaving Manager said: ‘The scenario was based on a real-life incident, it’s so important that we train in dealing with challenging situations.

‘The RNLI lifeguards, lifeboat crew, and the Coastguard rescue team worked really well together collaborating together to achieve the best possible result.

‘The feedback from all the participants was really positive, and our medical colleagues were very complimentary about the competence shown and the inter-agency co-operation.

‘This scenario training gives confidence to our lifeguards and lifeboat crews, and ensures the teamwork and communication is already in place ready for real-life incidents.’

Martin Charlton, an RNLI lifeguard in north Pembrokeshire said:

‘Last night’s exercise was a great opportunity for me and my colleagues on the lifeguard team to upskill ahead of the summer season.

‘We regularly attend incidents in the season that require a multi-agency response. These scenarios are a brilliant opportunity to prepare for the the most challenging situations.