New fund helps families with energy and food costs

RESIDENTS who need support with rising food and energy costs can apply for a slice of a new £7.2m pot.

Leicestershire County Council was been awarded the money by the Department of Work and Pensions and is urging people who are struggling to pay their bills to apply.

Eligible households can receive an average of £200 in vouchers.

This means that the council has now made £22m of wide-ranging support available to help ease cost of living pressures. Over half-term, 14,000 children across Leicestershire could also benefit from £15 school food vouchers.

The council’s support includes:

Energy efficiency grants and advice - through the council’s Warm Homes scheme

Community fridges – run by volunteers, with projects in Wigston, Coalville, Loughborough, and Hinckley, are continuing to support their local communities by providing donated food for free to anyone who needs it

Applications need to be made through a professional or support worker – or through one of the following organisations:

• Registered charities and voluntary organisations

• Schools/education settings

• Food banks

• Care organisations

• Children’s Services

• Adult Social Care

• Housing

• Revenues and Customer Support

• Public Health

• Care and NHS professionals including nurses and GPs

• District and borough councils

• Citizens’ Advice

As you shoot across the garden trying to escape the insect that’s attacking your summer cocktail, it’s unlikely you will have taken the time to identify whether it’s a wasp, a bee or a hornet. If there seem to be a lot of them around though you may need to call a professional.

Wasps

Wasps have bright yellow and black stripes and are hairless. They fly swiftly and in a straight line, often in search of food or building materials for their nests. They can sting multiple times and are aggressive. If you find a wasps’ nest it is very dangerous to try to deal with it yourself and you must call a professional pest controller.

Bees

Bees exhibit a more erratic flight pattern than wasps. The furry bumble bee is distinctive and

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