The Hullavington Oil Purchasing Scheme — known locally as HOPS — is a community-led initiative that helps residents save money on domestic heating oil through collective ordering. Run entirely by volunteers, HOPS brings households together to negotiate better prices, reduce delivery traffic in the village, and support a more environmentally friendly way to heat our homes.

Our trusted supplier is Ford Fuels. Every Monday morning, HOPS members receive an email from Ford Fuels with that week’s discounted heating oil price, which is guaranteed for the full week. The price includes no additional delivery or administration charges, and VAT is charged at just 5%. There is no obligation to purchase, and members are always free to contact other suppliers to compare prices and choose the best deal for their needs.

Joining HOPS is simple and free — there are no membership fees or commitments. To sign up online, use the link below:

👉 Join HOPS

Prefer a paper form? You can pick one up at the Post Office or in the foyer of the Village Hall. Completed forms should be returned to:

Harry Dicks
HOPS Coordinator
📧 hullavingtonoil@gmail.com

For those with mobility difficulties, Graeme Slaymaker, has kindly offered to deliver a form. You can contact Graeme on 07838 446181.

HOPS is a great example of what we can achieve by working together — saving money, reducing traffic, and supporting a more sustainable village.

Annual Report: Year Two HOPS came into being on 14 November 2022. 91 Hullavington households were members at the outset. On 14 November 2024 membership had grown to 117 members, many of whom had taken advantage of the discounted price of domestic heating oil and have placed a total of 133 orders over the past twelve months. Alex Elsworth, our contact at Ford Fuels which is the current HOPS supplier, has provided me with a report for the period from 01.11.23 to 31.10.24. It shows that HOPS members received a total of 88,787 litres of domestic heating oil from Ford Fuels over the year, an average of 666.57 litres per delivery. The total cost was £58,133.14 making the average unit price £0.6547 per litre. The unit price ranged from £0.8210 per litre for two deliveries on 16.11.23 and 10.01.24 to £0.5398 per litre for four deliveries to lucky or sharp-witted members on 20.09.24 and 24.09.24.

Annual Report, 1.11.24 to 31.10.25

I held a public meeting in St Mary’s Church on 2.11.22 and 42 residents attended. The response was so encouraging that I set up the Hullavington Oil Purchasing Scheme which soon became known as HOPS. It came into being on 14.11.22 with 91 members. We now have 120 members who receive an email every Monday morning that informs them of their discounted price for domestic heating oil for the week.

Note to members: if you have not received your email by noon on Monday, please email my contact at Ford Fuels, Alex Elsworth via alex.elsworth@fordfuels.co.uk and tell him you are a member of HOPS.

In the past year, 56 members placed a total of 124 orders. The unit price they paid ranged from £0.4932 per litre for two watchful or fortunate members on 12.06.25 and 18.06.25 respectively to £0.6899 per litre on 23.01.25

It is interesting to note the comparison with the range for our first year, 2022-23, when the oil market was influenced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In the HOPS 2022-23 year the unit price ranged from £0.5555 per litre to £0.9295 per litre. In addition, the average unit price was £0.7354 per litre, significantly higher than the highest price paid in the past year.

Our current preferred provider is Ford Fuels. The price per litre for the week that members receive does not include the 5% VAT added to domestic heating oil. However, there are no additional charges, e.g. for delivery or administration. There is no obligation to order from Fuel Fuels and members can always look elsewhere for a better price.

In addition to their generous support of this year’s church fête, Ford Fuels have offered to make a donation of a halfpenny for every litre of domestic heating oil purchased by HOPS members in the past year. We bought a total of 85,089 litres which means Ford Fuels will donate £425.45 for, or towards, an item or project that will benefit the community of Hullavington.

I thought the best course of action would be to ask the parish council for their recommendation. I am pleased to report that at their meeting on 12.11.25 the parish council voted unanimously to propose that the donation from Ford Fuels should go towards relocating the defibrillator from inside the village hall to a safe and secure site outside. This action will enable the defibrillator to be accessible at all times and to all residents in the area rather than just when the village hall is open.

I continue to be surprised by the residents who say they have never heard of HOPS. Paper versions of the application form are available from the Post Office and Village Hall. Alternatively, those who would like to join can email me, hullavingtonoil@gmail.com.