Age Concern can help pensioners this winter
ON FRIDAY 30 September, there was an article in the Guernsey Press headed 'I would like to see States live off our pension'. In the article, two local pensioners expressed their concerns that the proposals to increase the old age pension by £1.64 a week was simply not enough, as many of our pensioners already struggle to survive financially as it is.
Therefore, I would like to offer any pensioner in Guernsey who is struggling to survive financially a little bit of comfort by way of this letter if I may.
The 'good news' is that due to our receiving some extremely generous donations from local individuals and businesses, all of whom wish to remain anonymous, Age Concern:Guernsey will soon be launching its Winter Fuel Fund to provide financial assistance to local pensioners who struggle to pay their fuel bills throughout the winter period.
The application process is not too intrusive and simply involves a visit to the home of the applicant by myself (as chairman of the Fuel Fund) and my assistant Mike Hawley to help the applicant complete the application form.
That application is then considered by the committee, who decide what level of financial assistance is appropriate for the applicant. Once we have made that decision (we can pay anything up to £250 towards a pensioner's fuel bills) we simply send a voucher to the company concerned and the company credits the customer's account for that amount. It's as simple as that.
We contribute towards costs for coal, logs, gas, electricity or oil and also, in exceptional circumstances, we can even contribute towards additional fuel costs, as long as the applicant can prove to us that they can't afford to pay for whatever it is they need that is associated with heating their homes, e.g. a new boiler.
I hope that provides some comfort to pensioners who struggle to pay their fuel bills in winter, and if any of our pensioners would like to call me to make further enquiries prior to our launching the fund in November, then I ask them please to not hesitate to call me (or ask a relative or friend to call me on their behalf) on 729399.
It's always a pleasure to talk to, and work with, our pensioners.
Every single one of them has a story worth hearing and that we can all learn from.
In closing, I would urge any pensioners who find themselves struggling with their finances in general to call a deputy and ask them to accompany them to a meeting at Wheadon House to establish whether or not they are receiving all the benefit payments they are entitled to. It can be quite a daunting prospect for some of our pensioners to attend such meetings alone, and after having set up and attended several such meetings over the years, I can honestly say that the staff at Social Security have always been courteous and extremely professional. I've never once witnessed, or experienced, discourteous or unprofessional behaviour from a member of staff at Social Security.
So, to finish, my message to pensioners (or any fellow islander, for that matter) is, call a deputy and ask them to help you if you're struggling. After all, that's exactly what we're here for – to help our fellow islanders in times of crisis and times of 'need'.
DEPUTY LESTER QUERIPEL,
Chairman of the Age Concern: Guernsey Fuel Fund Committee.
Lester.Queripel@deputies.gov.gg
