What Your Business can do to Support Vulnerable Pensioners in the Harsh Winter Weather

As temperatures plummet and snow blankets the streets, many elderly and disabled individuals are facing a winter of uncertainty. 

With the Winter Fuel Allowance now scrapped for many, the ability to stay warm and safe has become a significant challenge for some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

As members of the business community we believe it’s our responsibility to step in and support those in need during this critical time.

Here’s how businesses  can help pensioners and disabled individuals stay warm, safe, and cared for this winter:

1. Providing Emergency Warmth Packs

Distributing free emergency warmth packs, which include:

Thermal blankets and socks.

Hot water bottles.

Hand warmers.

Insulated mugs for hot drinks.

These packs are designed to offer immediate relief from the cold, especially for those who cannot afford to heat their homes consistently.

2. Community Warm Hubs

Partner with local organisations to set up warm hubs across the community. These are safe spaces where pensioners can enjoy warmth, hot meals, and social interaction. Warm hubs should be open daily and provide a welcoming environment to combat both the physical and emotional toll of isolation during the colder months.

3. Discounted or Free Services

To help make homes more energy-efficient, look at offering discounted or free:

Home insulation checks.

Draught-proofing services.

Installation of energy-efficient heaters or thermal curtains.

These measures not only improve warmth but also reduce energy consumption for households struggling to afford their bills.

4. Volunteer Support Network

Volunteers are available to:

Deliver warm meals or groceries.

Help with small household tasks to keep living spaces safe and accessible.

Check in regularly, ensuring pensioners feel cared for and supported.

5. Raising Awareness and Advocating for Change

Work to amplify the voices of vulnerable pensioners by advocating for sustainable support solutions. By collaborating with local councils and policymakers, aim to push for reinstating fuel allowances and implementing long-term solutions to energy poverty.

How You Can Help

Donate: Contributions to a Winter Relief Fund allow us to expand the reach and support more individuals.

Volunteer: Join local teams to deliver essential supplies or assist at local warm hubs.

Spread the Word: Share this initiative to help reach those who may need such services.

Winter should not be a time of fear and hardship for anyone. Together, we can make a difference by ensuring that no one is left to suffer alone in the cold. 

If you know someone who may need support or if you’d like to get involved, please contact your local Age UK office, your county, town, borough or district council and local religious groups including Christian denominations, Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims.

Let’s work together to keep our community warm and cared for this winter.

Struggling with crippling rents? Good news! You have a retail champion!

Britain’s struggling High Street shops have been thrown a lifeline with a new way of reducing crippling rents.

A retail champion is saving companies around 50% a year in charges so they can carry on trading and landlords don’t have to board up stores.

Financial experts believe the shopping landscape could be obliterated as rising rent reviews and poor sales force shop-owners to hand back the keys.

But an organisation is rescuing firms from the brink by negotiating new rent deals that give hope for landlords and the shops that are vital to national recovery.

“Everyone knew there was a lot of pain out there on the High Street but up until last year there wasn’t much blood. Now it is starting to flow,” said David Abramson, Managing Director of Rent Reform Ltd.

“Up to half of all shop rents are overpriced because they are held in long-term leases with upward-only reviews which make no allowance for the challenging economic climate. Firms are coming out of five-year terms and finding their rents going up just at the time they need the most help.

“Landlords don’t want properties empty so it is a question of finding a reasonable path so that our High Streets can keep going. We need retail to thrive to drive the economic recovery.”

Rent Reform has been deluged with retail giants and smaller shopkeepers keen to lower their costs and carry on trading as more High Street shops are boarded up.

“There needs to be a national review of the lease structure,” he added.

“Landlords are out of touch with the financial climate if they fail to grasp the simple fact that there is no longer as much money in the kitty for rents as there used to be. Without realistic reviews of rent rates we will see increasing numbers of High Streets die."

Rent Reform has negotiated rent savings for High Street chains, La Tasca, Subway and Walmsleys as well as a string of small businesses.

“We save businesses in the short term between 40-60%. It might just be for a few years and the landlord doesn’t have to suffer long term but it gives struggling firms room to breathe.”

Many retailers are simply unaware they can renegotiate rental agreements through third party experts and so are losing thousands of pounds in unnecessary costs as a result, claimed Rent Reform.

High Street fortunes have been devastated by the recession with lingerie retailer La Senza, the Peacocks chain and nostalgia gift retailer Past Times the latest firms to bite the dust and 30,000 retail jobs are estimated to be under threat in 2012.

Simon Wilkinson, chief executive of the Oxford-based La Tasca restaurant chain, said Rent Reform had protected the future of some of his outlets.

Aroma oriental restaurants saved £300,000 from its rent roll with 25 per cent reductions across three of its six sites.

“These are tough times and they allowed me to keep them going,” said owner Colin Aroma. “I employ 200 plus people and without Rent Reform we would have probably had to shut three restaurants putting 60 to 70 people out of a job.”


www.rentreform.co.uk