‘Warm Blackpool neighborhood centre hub has saved me from loneliness’ | EUROtoday

An 84-year-old girl who goes to her neighborhood centre day by day to heat up has mentioned she has been “saved from loneliness” there.

Sheila Underwood, from Blackpool, mentioned she had discovered herself dwelling in gas poverty, nervous sick about paying the payments along with her pension, after her beloved husband of 59 years, Jim, died 5 years in the past.

She mentioned the monetary stress made her really feel down and lonely, concurrently attempting to coming to phrases along with her grief.

But the Grange Community Centre had “turned her life around”, she mentioned, not solely by preserving her heat and assembly new buddies but additionally serving to with recommendation on learn how to save power.

In earlier life, Sheila labored within the Symbol Biscuits manufacturing unit in Blackpool.

She mentioned she turned trapped in gas debt by way of no fault of her personal and had been struggling to pay the payments.

Sheila had lower her meals down to only “one decent meal” a day and the roast dinners she grew up with each Sunday with a pudding have been a factor of the previous.

Groundwork, a charity which helps weak individuals with hardship, brings “green doctors” to the neighborhood centre.

Sheila has been helped to save cash on her payments by switching power supplier and placing power saving measures in place in her dwelling, resembling placing specialised foil sheets behind radiators.

Sheila now has a large circle of buddies on the neighborhood centre, often called the “Grange girls”, and he or she additionally helps volunteer there.

“It’s saved me from loneliness,” she mentioned.

Her “green doctor” additionally gave her a heated electrical throw, a scorching water bottle and draft excluders.

She mentioned it had made an enormous distinction to her life.

“I’m more relaxed now and I put the heating on all over Christmas,” she mentioned.

However, even along with her value saving measures she mentioned she nonetheless was unable to purchase any luxuries and by no means eats out.

“I can’t afford it,” she mentioned.

Rachel Denby is one among Groundwork’s “green doctors”.She mentioned their “simple but effective” energy-saving measures can have an enormous impact on individuals’s lives – each financially and mentally.

She mentioned: “A lot of people don’t consider the mental health impact on fuel poverty as well.

“If you are sitting in a freezing chilly home, having to sit down there sporting your coat… each evening, it will possibly actually have an effect on your psychological well being.”