I thought it might be worth reminding us all that the winter cold weather can be very difficult for older people as they struggle to pay for heating and the food they need. In the UK older people get a cold weather allowance which helps a bit but probably not that much given the rising price of fuel of all types. That leads to the horrible saying 'eat or heat.' It should never be a choice! We have to keep an eye on elderly neighbours to make sure they have what they need and are keeping warm.

This is very important. So far in the UK we have had quite a mild winter but I think that is about to change soon. It is so important to make sure that those who are more vulnerable are looked after and check on in the cold weather. Lots of elderly people go weeks without speaking to anyone, that is a disgrace and leads to things like people lying dead undiscovered for months. If we all did our part we could make sure that our elders war well taken care of in the winter.

Now that the temperature in the Uk is below zero in most places, it is even more important that we keep an eye on the elderly or those who cannot help themselves to keep warm. An old lady that I know was asking me if the cold weather payments were still in place for the elderly in the UK. I found this information:


Cold Weather Payments help people, who get certain income-related benefits, with their increased heating costs caused by periods of very cold weather during winter.
A period of very cold weather is when the temperature is either:
recorded as an average of zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days in a row
forecast to be an average zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days in a row
How the Cold Weather Payments scheme works
The Cold Weather Payments scheme runs every winter from 1 November and 31 March.
A network of weather stations gathers temperature information. This is used to see whether there has been a ‘period of very cold weather’ in any postcode area.
When there is a period of very cold weather in your postcode area, a Cold Weather Payment is made to eligible people who live there.
When there hasn’t been a period of very cold weather in your postcode area, a Cold Weather Payment will not be paid.
People who live near to each other but in different postcode areas might get Cold Weather payments at different times.