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Car Club
celebrates successful 1st year
LIVERPOOL's innovative Car
Club is celebrating a highly successful 1st year. The
pay-as-you drive scheme, launched in October 2013, has seen
businesses and residents using the service, helping to reduce
congestion and improving air quality.
The scheme, operated by City Car Club, currently has more than 200
members using seven low-emission vehicles across the City centre.
Over the past year the vehicles have made more than 1800 trips and
in the process have saved 2.9 tonnes of CO2.
City Car Club was selected by Liverpool City Council after the
success of similar projects in 16 other cities across the UK.
Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, cabinet member for regeneration and
transport, said:- "City Car Club is a great scheme; it gives
businesses, residents the convenience of owning a vehicle without
the hassle and expense with particular benefits to young drivers. It
also goes a long way to help reduce levels of pollution on our
streets so everyone has a little more breathing space. The past 12
months in which the car club has operated has been a real success
and we've got every confidence that it will go from strength to
strength."
And the car club continues to grow with more residents and
businesses using the service every month. One such business is IBI
Group - one of the largest architecture firms in the world and the
name behind projects such as the Bio-Innovation Centre, Kings
Waterfront and Royal Liverpool Hospital. The firm joined City Car
Club soon after it launched last year and as regular users are
grateful for its presence in the City.
Danny Marsh, Studio Associate at IBI Group, said:- "City Car
Club has completely changed the way we approach business travel.
It's a really convenient and cost-effective way of making short
journeys in and around the City region. We have several cars in
close proximity to the office and we regularly use them to meet
clients and make site visits. The car club has allowed us to be much
more flexible and professional, plus we've been able to make
significant financial savings in terms of business mileage."
The success of the scheme is further buoyed by the fact that it is
due to expand in the coming months. November will mark the arrival
of a new bay and vehicle at Duke Street. The new car club site will
boast City Car Club's most popular vehicle, the Toyota Yaris Hybrid,
which will be available for all City Car Club members to use.
If you are interested in joining Liverpool's car club scheme or
would like more information on City Car Club head to:-
Citycarclub.co.uk. |
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Time for
Southport residents to prepare for winter warmth as clocks go back
WITH just a few weeks until
the clocks go back, a warmth scheme available to vulnerable
residents across England and Wales, including Southport, is
encouraging people to ensure their boilers are ready for this year's
winter heating switch on.
With temperatures dropping, many people will be reaching for the
thermostat, which is why the npower Health Through Warmth scheme is
raising awareness of the impact that warmth in the home can have on
health and wellbeing.
The scheme works with a range of community organisations, charities
and local authorities to assist vulnerable homeowners with the
funding and installation or repair of crucial heating measures in
the home. People may qualify for help if they have a long term
illness, a low income with little or no savings and are unable to
fully fund measures, such as a new boiler, themselves.
Elaine Midwinter, npower Health Through Warmth scheme manager,
comments:- "With Autumn now in full force, it's important that
people take action to ensure their health and wellbeing are not
impacted by cold temperatures at home. Residents in Southport should
check that their heating system is in full working order now to
reduce the risk of it breaking down when the winter months really
take a hold. This is especially important for vulnerable residents
in the community, who have long term illnesses."
Since being founded in 2000, more than 84,000 vulnerable residents
across England and Wales have been referred to npower Health Through
Warmth for assistance with heating and insulation. Eligible
residents do not have to be, or become, an npower customer to
benefit from the scheme.
npower Health Through Warmth, together with one of its partners, the
home improvement charity, Foundations Independent Living Trust (FILT),
has been shortlisted in this year's national Charity Times Award in
recognition of its partnership approach to heating help.
For more information about the scheme or to find out if you or
someone you know could be eligible for help, visit:-
healththroughwarmth.com.
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