Among the many cases we dealt with this week, one stood out that we’d like to share with you. This is an example of a typical situation that many are facing up and down the UK.
A post was spotted on social media by one of our members, where the question was asked about deductions being made on a Universal Credit payment. The DWP agreed that there was a mistake and that it would be rectified, but the mother was still waiting beyond the 3-5 days, despite the action being marked as urgent. She had no money to top up her energy meters to warm their home and be able to cook food for her children. She ended up asking friends to take care of her older two, so she could be certain they’d have a hot meal and be somewhere warm. Her neighbour had made up bottles for her baby, and she and the baby spent the night under layers to keep warm, lit by candlelight.
She was extremely surprised to hear from us, especially as she had no idea we’d be in touch. We offered to send her £50 there and then. She was so grateful, said she was sat there in tears because all she wanted was to make sure her children were warm and fed. Plus as she was expecting she had to keep her blood pressure down and not get stressed, so this would make the world of difference to her.
We are approaching the time where demand for our help increases as individuals struggle to keep their homes warm due to the high cost of doing so. Thank you if you already regularly donate to us, however, if you’d like to become a regular donor, or even make a one-off donation, then you can click this link to do so.