Dear Editor,
The announcement from Ofgem today (24 May) that energy prices will drop again from 1 July is good news for many. Yet at Marie Curie, the UK’s leading end of life charity, we know many people in the last stage of their lives are spending time worrying about how to pay their energy bills. Everyone deserves to feel safe, warm, and comfortable in their own homes, without worry.
Many dying people are forced to make impossible choices about whether to buy food or heat their homes, often incurring debts that will be passed onto their family members when they are gone.
Since December 2022, Marie Curie has supported over 3,500 people with support and information around energy bills and the cost of living. Our Energy Support Officers can talk through benefits, support available from energy suppliers, grants, and give energy efficiency updates.
This free service, funded by the UK Gas Distribution Networks, has identified over £1 million worth of benefits for those in need. And is supporting people in communities across the UK as over 800 Marie Curie staff and volunteers have been trained to identify people who may need help with their energy bills.
People approaching the end of their lives should be able to spend the last months and years of life focusing on what really matters – making memories with those close to them, living as well as they can for as long as they are able.
If your readers need help, please call the Marie Curie Support Line, for free, on 0800 090 2309 and ask to speak to our Energy Support Officers.
Matt Williams, Marie Curie Associate Director of Information and Support
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