THE RAINY DAY TRUST FEATURE
THE RAINY DAY TRUST
Anjali Sooknanan spoke to Bryan Clover, CEO of The Rainy Day Trust, about the help available to those in need in the industry, how businesses can support the charity and its plans for its milestone anniversary year.
Could you tell us about how The Rainy Day Trust started? Bryan Clover: The Rainy Day Trust started back in 1843 as the Iron and Metal Trades Benevolent Society. We then became the Royal Metal Trades Benevolent Society, and in 1899 when were give our Royal Charter. In 2004, the Board decided to change the name to The Rainy Day Trust because they felt it was more modern and accessible.
The Rainy Day Trust is the only charity to help the home improvement and home enhancement industry and their families. Why did you want to help this sector in particular? BC: The trust supports anyone that works or has worked in the home improvement sector which includes builders’ merchants and their suppliers, DIY, nurseries, housewares, and garden centres. When we started life as the Iron and Metal trades back in 1843, it was focused on ironmongery. Over time, it organically evolved to become what it is today.
s the cost-of-living crisis continues to pinch consumer incomes, businesses are having to adapt to a shift in buying habits.
Combat the Crisis A
Arun Bhatoye, head of marketing at Hisense UK, highlights the support businesses can provide consumers amidst the challenging cost-of-living crisis.
What support do you provide? BC: We provide a range of support but it’s mostly around financial assistance for people facing financial difficulties. There are two types of help we offer.
The first is assistance which is available to everybody whether it is the CEO of a business or an employee in a cookshop in your local town. We offer free debt advice, welfare benefits advice and telephone counselling which include five free sessions for around 30 minutes each. It is available for whenever people choose, they can call their counsellor on the way to work, in the car park at lunch or on their way home. We also offer legal advice on any non-criminal matter which includes boundary disputes, divorce, custody battles or even employment advice. We give an hour of free legal advice meaning you’re not tied to a local solicitor.
20 | March/April 2023 10 | January/February 2023
Consumers are looking for energy-efficient, cost-efficient products, and it is the responsibility of the business to make their customers aware of which products fit these criteria. Arun Bhatoye, head of marketing at Hisense UK, says “Here at Hisense, we have always championed manufacturing products that are affordable yet high- quality, and this is more important than ever as we head towards the winter months amidst a national cost-of-living crisis. Right now, it is our number one priority to help the nation to understand how to best use their appliances to continue with their necessary household chores and reduce their bills as much as possible.” Founded over 50 years ago, Hisense is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of televisions and home appliances. Hisense has a core range of televisions and cooling appliances alongside a portfolio of cooking and laundry products featuring hobs, hoods, ovens, dishwashers and washing machines. Educating the consumer Bhatoye says “As energy bills soar to an all-time high, monitoring our gas and electricity usage has never been more important, and so consumers are looking for alternative solutions to cut down on their energy usage – and in turn, their energy bills. This doesn’t mean that consumers aren’t buying, but the path to purchase is much more considered. Customers
The second type of support we offer is financial assistance. To qualify you will need to have worked in our industries for at least a year unbroken and you need to be on a low salary. Until recently it was £25,000 per year but with the recent rise in the cost of living, we have increased this to around £28,000 per year. Whether it is help with utility bills or buying you a new washing machine when it is broken, this is our primary grant making programme and sits at the core of what we do. In addition to that, for people who are retired or have health problems which prevent them from working, we provide them with financial support every month. They will receive £100 every month, we’ll pay their TV licence if they’re under 75 years old and their telephone line rental to stay in touch with friends and family, and they can apply for one off assistance as and when required. What we also do is support people looking to improve their lives by
look to invest in appliances that achieve the best results whilst using the least amount of energy, to help with cutting down bills. During the cost-of-living crisis, retailers and suppliers should be looking at ways in which they can help educate and inform their customers on the best appliances for their individual needs, and support them as much as possible to find the most cost-effective solution. Here at Hisense, energy efficiency has played a large role in product development as we look to new launches in future years. “It’s likely that any appliance which doesn’t need to be switched on for a long amount of time during usage, for example a microwave or toaster is the most efficient small appliance, as it only uses energy whilst it is switched on. It’s also very much dependent on usage – every household is different and has different needs. For example, single-person households may have a large capacity oven and batch cook to make the most of their oven being turned on, whilst larger families might opt for a larger capacity washing machine to bundle loads together. Generally speaking, tumble dryers tend to be the most expensive appliance to run, so switching up this part of your laundry routine to drying your clothes on a traditional clothes horse or drying rack is an easy way to help cut down your energy bills. Of course, defining what the most expensive appliance to run will ultimately come down to usage habits. If you have a larger household, it’s likely to be more cost-effective to invest in a larger capacity washing machine, so that you can fit more clothes in one load,
paying for training and education. This benefits people looking for a career change or those looking to become more employable. In 2018, we did some research and found that around 80% of apprentices fail to complete their course meaning they never get a qualification which is of
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