ORGANISERS of the Westbury Area Network have pointed towards rising food and energy costs, as well as the general increase in the cost of living, as the main reasons they have seen an increase in people use their service. But the charity says that people who need support shouldn’t let pride get in the way.
The BBC reported at the end of January that food prices have gone up at their fastest rate in nearly 30 years, and experts have suggested that the next review of the UK’s energy price cap on the 7th February could see another steep rise in household bills. The foodbank in Westbury has already seen a sharp increase in visitors this winter.
Linda Hallowell, a trustee for the Westbury foodbank which is part of the Westbury Area Network (WAN) located in the Westbury Community Project said, “We have been providing services for a range of people/families. There have been several single or older couple service users along with single parent families and some with larger families, some with disabilities or children with disabilities, so I would say we support a wide range of people all with their own individual needs.
“We have noticed a recent increase in the number of younger people and those with young children accessing the food bank.
“I spoke with one person who was calling into the community fridge, who gave the example of having to use one tin of beans to make two meals for a couple The person said that the couple’s recent fuel bill showed a significant hike in monthly costs, which was making them feel anxious. Whilst trying to explore their situation further they said they were not willing to use the food bank service at the moment because ‘others are worse off’ than they are, but may need to consider it in the future.
“One parent told me that during school holidays they are able to use the free school meals lunch vouchers to help pay for fuel, and the food bank to help with food. During term time this parent said they do not turn on the heating whilst the children are at school, but need to have it on when the children are home in the holidays.”
Significant increase
Volunteers from WAN also manage the community fridge on behalf of the town council. Linda said, “We have seen a significant increase in the number of people accessing the fridge, to the extent that we have decided to increase the number of days the fridge is available from two to three per week. We have, on occasions, seen people waiting for the doors to open at 10.30am.
“It seems people may find it more socially acceptable or less of a stigma to be seen using food which would otherwise go to landfill to augment their limited finances rather than ‘taking charity’; as it has been expressed to me, people are proud. We would encourage anyone who is finding their financial situation difficult at the moment to get in touch. We aim to provide short term support to help people get onto a more stable financial platform. The length of time we offer support is dependent on individual circumstances.”
Crosspoint, the community support centre which offers financial advice in Westbury, say that the rise in cost of living will hit one group harder than the rest.
Kevin Fairman, chairman of Crosspoint says, “The cost of living will affect all those who are currently in financial hardship, but the incoming National Insurance changes will impact those that are in work, but already struggling. With the removal of the £25 Universal Credit payment, there’s not a lot of evidence of what the Government policy of ‘levelling up’ actually means for people. Did you know that there are now more food banks in the UK than branches of McDonalds?”
The WAN can be found in the Westbury Community Project on Eden Vale Road, BA13 3NY. Their community fridge is open to all with the aim of reducing food waste to landfill, and is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10.30 to 12.00. If you are struggling to pay for food costs, then please do not hesitate to contact the foodbank at the WAN by calling 07780 072 619 or emailing westburyareanetwork@gmail.com.
If you need financial advice, need help filling out forms or you simply need access to a printer or laptop then visit Crosspoint in the High Street on Wednesdays 2.30pm – 5pm and Saturdays 10am to 12.30 (due to a lack of volunteers, the centre will not be open on Mondays in February). You can contact Crosspoint by calling 01373 824 330 or emailing info@crosspoint-westbury.co.uk.
If you are struggling to warm your home, then you may be entitled to a fuel poverty grant – call Warm & Safe Wiltshire on 08000 385 722 or email armandSafe@cse.org.uk
The charity is also working with Wiltshire Council to provide grants to support vulnerable households with no heat this winter by funding the costs of repairing or replacing heating systems for Wiltshire residents. To find out if you qualify, visit www.warmandsafewiltshire.org.uk
If you are over the pension age and on a lower income, then you may be entitled to the Age UK Wiltshire Surviving Winter grant and you could receive a one-off £200 grant alongside holistic advice to tackle fuel poverty. Find out more by calling 08081 962 424.
