We’re thrilled to announce that, following the success of the first year, the Safe Homes Initiative has received continued funding from Electrical Safety First (ESF). This funding will help us expand our efforts to improve electrical safety in North Yorkshire’s most vulnerable households, helping us meet our goal of continuously contributing positively to our community.
Reflecting on Last Year’s Impact
Launched in 2025, the Safe Homes Initiative aimed to reduce the risk of electrical fires in homes identified as high-risk by North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (NYFRS). The initiative primarily focused on households with vulnerable residents, such as the elderly, those living in social housing, and individuals unable to maintain their appliances due to financial or physical limitations.
Throughout the year, our team carried out thorough safety inspections of electrical appliances and personal belongings in these households, ensuring they met safety standards. Many faulty or unsafe items, including counterfeit goods, electric blankets, and extension leads, were identified and replaced with new, safe products, free of charge, all of which were supplied by Maxwell’s of Northallerton.
This support, alongside Electrical Safety First funding, helped ensure that residents were protected from potential electrical hazards.
The residents who benefitted from the Safe Homes Initiative in 2025 were immensely grateful for the help received. Many were already aware of electrical safety but lacked the resources to purchase certified appliances and for others, the initiative provided peace of mind and essential guidance on maintaining their homes safely.
Key Insights from the Field
In the field, our team has gained valuable insights throughout the first year of the initiative. James McQuillan, our Technical Director, was on-site for many of the safety inspections and provided firsthand feedback.
He observed that the residents we visited varied significantly in their awareness of electrical safety. While many were proactive and well-informed but lacked the resources to make necessary changes, others, particularly elderly individuals, lacked the confidence or knowledge to maintain their appliances safely. This made them particularly vulnerable to electrical hazards.
Through the Safe Homes Initiative, our engineers often found that the work went far beyond electrical safety alone. In some homes, particularly those of older residents, our teams were the only people the individual had seen or spoken to that day.
Engineers took time to sit, talk, listen and explain what they were doing, recognising that reassurance and human contact mattered just as much as the testing itself. Where unsafe or counterfeit appliances were found, these were dealt with immediately, but conversations were never rushed.
In several cases, engineers stayed longer than planned simply because someone needed help understanding the risks or just needed someone to talk to. It reinforced what this initiative is really about. Keeping people safe means seeing the person behind the property and acting with care, patience and responsibility, not just carrying out a check and moving on.
Although taking the extra time with each household meant it took longer to reach all target households, it was important to us that we took the necessary time with each person we encountered as part of the first round of the initiative.
We successfully replaced 104 unsafe items free of charge, resulting in safer homes in our community.
Looking Ahead: Expanding the Reach
With renewed funding from Electrical Safety First, we’re excited to continue this crucial work. Our goal for the year ahead is to reach even more high-risk homes, ensuring that those most vulnerable in our community benefit from the safety checks and appliance replacements they need.
We also plan to expand our community awareness efforts, offering more local events, workshops, and resources to educate residents on electrical safety and the risks they may face in their homes.
The Safe Homes Initiative will continue to be a collaboration between Hawkesworth Appliance Testing, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Maxwell’s of Northallerton, and Electrical Safety First.
Together, we’re committed to ensuring that more homes in North Yorkshire are electrically safe and that residents are well-informed and equipped to protect themselves from electrical fires.
Thank You to Our Partners and Residents
We’d like to thank all of our partners, engineers, and residents for their continued support and trust. The work we’ve done so far has had a tangible impact, and with your help, we look forward to another successful year of making North Yorkshire’s homes safer for all.
