Join the five-year milestone celebrations for your chance to win the Hub’s Grand Hamper Raffle
Edinburgh’s Utilita Energy Hub is set to mark its fifth year anniversary this week and the team in Leith will be welcoming both regular and new hub visitors to join a free Coffee Morning and Energy Efficiency Workshop.
Natasha Baillie, Supervisor at the Leith Energy Hub,and her dedicated team are looking forward to welcoming the local community to help celebrate the milestone event on Friday, 31 January (08:30am-5pm) and everyone is invited along to enjoy a slice of birthday cake and a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate.
Hub visitors will also have the chance to enter the Utilita Leith Energy Hub’s Grand Hamper Raffle, filled with lots of goodies such as chocolate and other sweet treats – with the prize winner being drawn and revealed at 3pm. The Energy Efficiency Workshop is set to take place between 10 and 11am, followed by a special prize draw Tombola.
Not a customer? Not a problem!
Back in 2018, Utilita opened its first hub in the UK with the aim of getting out into local communities and serving to help not only customers, but everyone that is part of that community too.
At the start of 2020, Utilita officially opened Scotland’s first high street Energy Hub in Newkirkgate Shopping Centre in Leith, with Hibs legend Pat Stanton cutting the ribbon, and it’s been providing vital community support and energy advice ever since.
The hub aims to serve the community, offering energy advice to absolutely anyone that requires it and also engages in community events as well as working with local charities such as the Edinburgh North East Foodbank.
No matter whether you are a Utilita customer or not, the hub team is always happy to give free energy saving advice, something manager Natashasays is very important given the current cost-of-living crisis – and they’re also able to offer energy saving products at competitive prices.
Five year reflection
Reflecting on the hub’s success over the past five years, Natasha said: “We have had such fantastic support since the first day we opened our doors and really have been made to feel so welcome in the local community. It is thanks to them that we have done so well and been able to provide so much support to local good causes.
“Hub highlights over the past five years include hosting a charity match with Hibernian Community Foundation and the Big Hearts Community Trust, which made over £5,000 and was donated evenly between the charities.
“Every year at Leith Gala Day we book a stall to deliver energy efficiency advice and we work very closely with many other charities, one of them being Held In Our Hearts. Our recent abseil for this charity raised over £500 which was then match funded by the company.
”We’re immensely grateful to the people of Leith, and beyond, for really embracing what we do here. With the local community’s support, we’re able to regularly donate Christmas Eve bags to Ronald McDonald House, as well as donating 25 TVs for all the rooms.
“Having a presence on the high street lets the public know that the Utilita team are here for everyone and all you need to do is pop down for anything you may need help with, customer or not.
“We aim to make it super simple to manage your energy – no phone lines or online dashboards, just a friendly face to speak to in a warm space with a free cuppa if you’d like one and colouring packs to keep the kids entertained!”
Open to all
Utilita Energy Hubs are high street locations where customers can top up their accounts, check their balances, and get energy-saving advice – based not just in Edinburgh but also Gosport, Southampton, Isle of Wight, Luton, Derby, West Bromwich, Sheffield, Leicester, Blackburn, Huddersfield and Hartlepool.
The Utilita Leith Energy Hub is open from 08:30 to 5pm Monday to Saturday at 41 Newkirkgate, Edinburgh, EH6 6AA. See more on Utilita Energy Hubs at https://utilita.co.uk/energy-hub.