National Numeracy Day - Multiply

Debbie, one of our Welfare Coaches, has been working on the national Multiply programme for the past year or so. Through this programme, we've been able to offer free courses and workshops on budgeting, money management and more - all helping local individuals to use numeracy and maths skills and be confident doing so. Read on to hear from Sam, who attended four sessions:

"When I seen the ad on Facebook I was a little bit apprehensive of participating, would this be for me? Would I fit in? Will I learn anything? I struggle to absorb information so will this even be beneficial for me? 

I decided to take the plunge and attend. And let me tell you how wrong I was about all the self insecurity thoughts. I attended the Saving Energy support and the Cooking on a Budget course. 

I was made to feel at ease, welcomed with a nice warm drink, comfortable and eager to find out what this is about. The energy saving has helped me massively! They’ve gave me the confidence to now work out my energy bill correctly! I now know how to work out watts and how much that will cost me for 1 hour to a full day... little did I know I was practically throwing money away! I used oil burners to heat my house, when I was advised to turn my boiler down and leave my heating on longer it is actually more cost efficient. I am now on average spending £4 a day on gas having it on all day then to spending £8 a day on electric. On average I’ve been saving £25 a week which is a massive saving £1,300 a year!!! Just by changing one thing!

No question was a stupid question! I felt very involved, the group discussion that happened was great, everyone got along, seeing different ideas how to save energy was fantastic. 

Cooking on a Budget

This for me was the most useful one! It’s helped my confidence grow dramatically when it comes to cooking. I’m now not afraid to buy things from the reduced and throw it in the freezer. I’m not scared to throw ingredients together to make a meal that lasts 2 days. 

They’ve taught me how to bulk cook, how to add more things such as chickpeas and potatoes to fill the meal out more. They provided me with recipes that are easy to follow, cheap to make, but delicious to eat. Seeing other peoples strengths and weaknesses and discussing these made me feel not alone. Made me feel I was understood and again that I wasn’t stupid. Debbie was a massive help in making sure everyone felt comfortable, welcomed and at ease. She literally went above and beyond. I felt she cared how I felt, I felt heard and just really comfortable in her presence. 

The both courses have gave me so much more confidence at working things out, how to manage time when cooking, how to double up if I was to bulk and freeze the food. 

I’ve attached a few meals below - all reduced chicken and things that I buy in my weekly shop anyway! All meals cost under £5 and lasted 2 days."

In year two of the citywide programme, over 1,300 people took part in various sessions and workshops, with 98% stating that they had more confidence using Maths in everyday life after the courses!

There's a National Numeracy Day event on today (Wednesday 22nd May 2024) where you can find out more about the courses happening across Sheffield (including ours!).