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Oil 4 Wales has announced that is has had to end its scheme offering free domestic heating oil to elderly customers to help with rising energy bills prematurely after it exceeded its projected donation.

The scheme, which was first announced by the Carmarthenshire-based fuel supplier in September, was a one-off delivery of 800 litres of domestic heating oil to elderly customers aged 80 years and over who have been with the company for at least two years.

The business had budgeted £75,000 for the scheme and planned to run it until March 2023. However, the firm exceeded projected donations after many eligible customers contacted the local depots to take part in the scheme, with over £250,000 worth of fuel being donated in the past two months.

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Now the firm said it has had to terminate the offer early and wanted to thank all who contacted Oil 4 Wales to take part.

Managing director Sally Williams said: "Following a difficult few years facing the COVID-19 pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis, we are very proud to have been able to support our customers who have championed us for the past two years. We have been humbled by the lovely messages and cards we have received, and it means so much for us to be able to reach out to the community to ensure they stay warm during the coldest months of the year.”

“We could never have imagined that so many members of our local communities would sign up to the scheme in such a short period of time. This demonstrates just how vital it is to act on our mission to ‘work with the community, for the community’ and to support each other throughout the cost-of-living crisis. Oil 4 Wales will do its best to continue to support those who are most vulnerable over the course of this winter and to limit the impact of expensive energy bills on our customers."

In the last two years, the fuel supplier has made several contributions to local communities including fuel deliveries to local charity The Carers Trust Crossroads and, at the request of Carmarthenshire County Council, fuel donations of 500 litres to local residents who care for their child following a diagnosis of Moto Neurone disease.

Ms Williams added: "We remain dedicated to helping those with living in cold, less energy efficient housing and importantly to limiting preventable losses going forward. Oil 4 Wales will help in whichever way it can.”

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