Event on Energy brought staff and partners together
A successful staff event was held in Irvine’s Volunteer Rooms yesterday (6 October) to raise awareness of the struggles many residents are facing when it comes to managing their energy bills.
It was arranged as part of our Challenge Poverty Week activities, with the aim of highlighting that energy issues are more than people simply paying a bill.
It is about people themselves, poverty and affordability - and also why partnership working is vital in helping to improve residents’ wellbeing.
There were insightful presentations from Samatha Morrison, from One Parent Families Scotland - the leading charity working with single parent families in Scotland - and Laura Kayes and Claire Coburn, from the Council’s Child Poverty team.
Laura and Claire spoke about the impact fuel poverty has on children and families, and there were also market stalls for colleagues to browse and gather information, including Money Smart, Social Security Scotland and Money Max.
Energy is one of the themes for this year’s Challenge Poverty Week, which the Council has now supported for eleven years.
When it comes to energy, no single organisation can address issues on its own, and the great work Council colleagues do across financial inclusion, energy advice, welfare rights, housing, family support and wider community services all connects.
The event offered an opportunity today for Council teams and partner organisations to strengthen those connections, share knowledge and – importantly - think about how we can use collective knowledge to make a real, tangible difference for the people we support.
Challenge Poverty Week (5 to 11 October) shines a light on poverty and what we can do to help make life better for people in our communities – and staff - who are struggling to make ends meet.
Arranged by the Poverty Alliance charity, the week of events and awareness raising inspires communities to work together, support each other and find new ways to change attitudes.
The week is used to shine a light on Council services and partner organisation supports that are available to help people in need – wherever they live in North Ayrshire.
The daily themes for this year’s activities are:
Monday 5 October – Social Security
Tuesday 6 October – Energy
Wednesday 7 October – Fair Work
Thursday 8 October – Tackling Child Poverty
Friday 9 October – Communities and Volunteers
Saturday 10 October - Stand up for mental health
Sunday 11 October - Care and prayer.
I would like to thank everyone for coming along yesterday. Every conversation we have with someone who is struggling financially is an opportunity to identify the wider issues affecting them and, where we can, connect them with the right support. I hope everyone left the Volunteer Rooms with a shared understanding that financial inclusion is not just about income or bills — it’s about people having the resources, support and opportunities. I would like to thank everyone for coming along, and also our guest speakers for sharing their knowledge and expertise. I hope everyone was able to take something away from the event to support the people they work with within our communities.
Published October 07, 2026
