THREE thousand homeowners in Bury will benefit from a £400,000 project to keep warm in winter.

Bury Council has teamed up with British Gas to install energy-saving measures, free of charge, in private homes.

The majority to benefit from the Here to HELP (Home Essentials for Life Programme) scheme will be 2,800 houses in a designated HELP zone in East Bury. They can look forward to loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, and energy-efficient light bulbs. This should make people's homes warmer and reduce their heating bills, while helping the council meets its targets in tackling climate change and fuel poverty.

Residents do not need to be on benefits to qualify, although the scheme will ensure that every householder is receiving all the benefits they are entitled to. Residents will also be put in touch with organisations who can offer them help, whether they be visually impaired or single parents.

A further £50-90,000 will be spent on 300 properties across Radcliffe under a "bonus" scheme from British Gas called the "Warm-a-Life" scheme, at no cost to Bury Council or the householders.

Councillor Tim Chamberlain, executive member for regeneration and housing, said: "Heating bills will become more affordable and the environment will benefit from reduced emissions."

Residents in the HELP zone are invited to two information events: at the the New Kershaw Centre in Deal Street on Wednesday (Nov 26) from 4pm to 6pm, and at Salisbury Conservative Club in Badger Street on Monday, December 1 (5pm-7pm).

To find out if your home is in the HELP zone, contact Andrew Hunt at the Bury Council Energy Show House at 20 Parsonage Street, Bury: telephone 0161 253 6367 or email a.j.hunt@bury.gov.uk