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IT’S going to beryllium a pugnacious Christmas for tens of thousands of pensioners this year.
Campaigners fearfulness that wealth worries sparked by cuts successful the Winter Fuel Allowance and mounting bills hazard triggering a question of loneliness and isolation among older people.
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That’s wherefore The Sun is launching the SOS At Christmas run to guarantee the older procreation bash not consciousness unsocial this winter.
We are supporting the astonishing enactment of starring foundation Age UK to guarantee older radical crossed the country consciousness unafraid and supported implicit the festive holidays and beyond.
And to observe the launch, TV prima and vigor big Vernon Kay joined america to larn astir the foundation and the captious services it provides.
The prima adjacent trained arsenic a telephone befriender and chatted to 1 lonely pensioner from his location town.
Troubling caller figures from Age UK contiguous uncover that 1 successful 10 pensioners accidental they bash not person anyone to crook to.
Among those aged 66 to 69, that fig increases to 13 per cent.
Last week, arsenic temperatures plummeted, the Government’s ain figures showed 100,000 pensioners are acceptable to beryllium plunged into poorness aft losing their Winter Fuel Payment.
Now we are urging readers to donate their clip oregon wealth to assistance alteration the lives of lonely older radical by supporting Age UK’s important services, which are a lifeline to many.
You could springiness the acquisition of clip by volunteering for Age UK’s Telephone Friendship Service, oregon its 24-hour Silver Line Helpline, which is unfastened each day, including Christmas.
Offering astatine slightest 20 to 30 minutes a week to chat with an older idiosyncratic who mightiness beryllium isolated and successful request of institution could marque specified a difference.
Fuel work hike is treble stroke aft Winter Fuel Payment loss, says pensioner
Age UK besides runs a escaped and confidential Advice Line, from 8am to 7pm, 365 days of the year, offering proposal connected everything from concern to bereavement and isolation.
And determination are 120 section Age UK centres crossed the country, which supply clubs and activities wherever older radical tin find companionship and a full scope of things to do, from workout classes and crafts to luncheon clubs serving blistery meals.
Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director with Age UK, said: “This wintertime volition beryllium highly hard for millions of pensioners connected a debased income. The operation of the vigor headdress rising and the Winter Fuel Payment disappearing for millions means excessively galore older households volition acquisition existent anxiety and fiscal hardship.
“We cognize that wealth issues tin pb to further isolation and loneliness arsenic immoderate older radical don’t cognize wherever to crook for help.
“Christmas tin besides beryllium a pugnacious clip of twelvemonth for those suffering nonaccomplishment and bereavement, truthful it is captious we are determination for older radical who bash not person anyone to crook to.
“We are delighted that The Sun’s Christmas SOS run volition assistance radiance a airy connected the enactment we do.
‘Amazing work’
“Age UK cannot beryllium determination without the public’s support, which is wherefore we are calling for readers to springiness what they tin this Christmas.
“Donations of money, clip and relationship from Sun readers volition marque a immense quality and assistance america beryllium determination for older radical successful need.
“We are precise grateful for The Sun’s enactment this Christmas. Together, we tin marque definite older radical bash not consciousness alone.”
Chancellor Rachel Reeves utilized her Budget to retreat the £200-£300 Winter Fuel Payment from astir 10million OAPs.
Government modelling shows astir 50,000 radical volition beryllium pushed to the breadline successful comparative poorness adjacent year, and 100,000 by 2027, with 50,000 successful implicit poverty.
The Government says households are successful comparative oregon implicit poorness erstwhile their income is beneath 60 per cent of the mid-point of each UK incomes.
But this month, successful the run-up to Christmas, we volition beryllium focusing connected the astonishing enactment that Age UK does crossed the state to springiness pensioners a societal lifeline and combat loneliness.
We volition besides beryllium showing however older radical tin entree the charity’s captious assistance and enactment if they request it.
To people the motorboat of our Christmas campaign, Radio 2 big Vernon trained arsenic an Age UK telephone befriender.
He was paired for a chat with Marion, a widow from his location municipality of Bolton, who has been utilizing the telephone work for much than 3 years aft being struck by crippling loneliness pursuing the decease of her hubby successful 2018.
She usually has a play telephone with unpaid Christa.
Marion told Vernon: “After my husband died, the archetypal twelvemonth was truthful busy, past successful the 2nd I started to find myself a spot down, and by the 3rd I thought, ‘I don’t privation to beryllium present immoderate more’.
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“It was my doc who sent maine to Age UK and got maine progressive successful the service. It’s the item of my week.
“I truly look guardant to my calls with Christa. They’ve matched america good due to the fact that we conscionable speech astir everything, and person for years.”
After learning astir however her chats done Age UK work, Vernon and Marion enjoyed a gossip astir Bolton — wherever helium was born.
Like Vernon, Marion erstwhile moved distant from the town, but she missed it truthful much, she returned 5 years aboriginal with her husband.
She had visited the aforesaid haunts arsenic Vernon’s parents successful the Sixties, peculiarly The Palais nightclub.
“I utilized to spell with 4 girlfriends,” Marion recalled. “We would spell into the loos to interaction up our make-up and person a natter if determination was anyone retired determination worthy looking doubly at.”
‘A existent joyousness to chat’
Marion’s cheeky remark saw Vernon howl with laughter arsenic helium replied: “That spot ne'er changes.
“Even erstwhile it became Ritzy’s, we’d spell ino the bath and bash the same.”
Vernon fitted successful the telephone astir his engaged schedule, which includes TV enactment and hosting Radio 2’s mid-morning show, which helium took implicit from fable Ken Bruce.
And helium is keen to drawback up with Marion again soon.
Vernon said: “It was a existent joyousness to chat to Marion and I’ve already got different telephone lined up with her.
“It’s astonishing however conscionable taking a tiny magnitude of clip retired of your time tin beryllium truthful beneficial for some parties to conscionable beryllium down and chat.
“It’s fantastic to beryllium progressive with The Sun and Age UK’s campaign.
“I impulse everyone to motion up to go a telephone person to dispersed immoderate Christmas cheer. You won’t regret it.”
Marion told The Sun: “It was beauteous to chat to Vernon. It was precise casual to speech to him and I loved that helium was from Bolton, too.”
Age UK fears that this winter, much older radical volition beryllium driven into isolation and loneliness arsenic fiscal hardship stops them from venturing out.
It is estimated that determination are astir 800,000 radical successful the UK who are entitled to assertion Pension Credit but bash not.
Those who get the payment volition beryllium allowed to support the Winter Fuel Payment, and could person different entitlements specified arsenic a free TV licence and Cold Weather Payment.
Backdate claims
Crucially, eligible OAPs indispensable use for Pension Credit by December 21, but they besides person to petition their assertion beryllium backdated truthful they get this year’s Winter Fuel Payment.
Check if you are eligible for Pension Credit online, oregon get assistance uncovering out, by visiting oregon calling Age UK’s escaped Advice Line connected 0800 169 65 65.
On Thursday, the Department for Work and Pensions released figures that showed the fig of Pension Credit claims had soared 145 per cent successful the 16 weeks since the means-testing of the Winter Fuel Payment was announced.
But Age UK’s Caroline Abrahams pointed retired that galore of those applying are being turned down due to the fact that they are ineligible.
She added: “These statistic besides bespeak the acute interest felt by galore older radical astatine the nonaccomplishment of their Winter Fuel Payment — something Age UK probe afloat bears out.”
Love a bully ol’ knees-up!
By Thea Jacobs
GATHERED astir a soft singing songs from Oliver! and different East End classics are 30 aged people.
Howling with laughter betwixt songs, and having a bully chinwag, respective archer maine visiting Age UK’s Allan Burgess Centre is the item of their week.
The radical were treated to renditions of Consider Yourself and Maybe It’s Because I’m A Londoner among others astatine a festive Cockney knees-up with Luke Meredith.
Jill, 77, has been coming to the centre successful Wanstead, East London, since 2023 aft her husband, Derek, became earnestly unwell.
She said: “Coming to the creation classes gave maine a spot of ‘me time’ distant from looking aft him. I could nip up the roadworthy but inactive beryllium adjacent capable if helium needed me.”
Since Derek passed distant successful March past year, Jill has carried connected going to the centre – particularly connected Fridays to bask a roast dinner, arsenic she would not marque 1 astatine home.
Jill said: “We get a beauteous dinner, a spot of institution and immoderate warmth arsenic well. It’s each truly valued. I anticipation they ne'er instrumentality it distant due to the fact that it’s a beauteous place.”
Another instrumentality of the nutrient is Anthony, 72, who admits: “I don’t truly navigator vegetables astatine location truthful I get them each present instead.”
Fellow attendee Kathleen, 75, utilized to gag with a pal astir being aged capable to be the centre.
“We utilized to accidental we’d spell unneurotic erstwhile we reached 55,” she said.
“Sadly, my person passed away, but she’d find it hilarious that I travel here.”
The centre besides provides method proposal and offers assistance with Pension Credit and Winter Fuel Allowance.
It’s thing chap visitant Jenny, 76, is passionate about.
She said: “Age UK listens to america – nary 1 other does.”
Sat connected her array are Gladys, 101, and her girl Sandra, 76, and pal Hazel, 70.
Hazel said: “It’s a large mode to socialise and they supply beauteous food.”
Centre manager Louisa Ryrie, 42, started arsenic a unpaid moving the crafts nine earlier taking implicit successful January.
She said: “For immoderate of them, this is the lone clip they’ll get speech each time oregon sometimes each week. It’s a lukewarm spot wherever they tin person a blistery repast that they cognize is nutritious, and they tin marque caller friends.
“This occupation is simply a dream. Everything we do, they each admit it. You can’t enactment a terms connected that.”
WHAT YOU CAN DO
DONATE
MAKE a donation online astatine ageuk.org.uk/christmassos
Or scan this QR codification connected your telephone to spell consecutive to the site
Or donate by text:
To springiness £5, substance SOS5 to 70507
To springiness £10, substance SOS10 to 70507
VOLUNTEER!
Give the acquisition of your clip by signing up arsenic 1 of Age UK’s telephone relationship volunteers
Just 20 to 30 minutes a week to chat with an older idiosyncratic who mightiness beryllium successful request of company
To find retired much spell to ageuk.org.uk/volunteer oregon scan the QR code
SHOP!
Age UK has 250 shops crossed the country, large places to prime up Christmas presents and enactment the elderly.
See Age UK tract for locations
- DONATE astatine ageuk.org.uk/ChristmasSos
- NEED HELP? Call Age UK connected 0800 169 65 65
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