Good morning. Welcome back to Survival Guide. It’s Isabella McRae here. 

Recent winters have been scary for vulnerable people. It was two winters ago that energy bills were forecast to soar over £4,000 annually, and the government had to intervene with an energy price guarantee and a discount for all households.

Energy bills have fallen from that dangerously high peak – but last winter saw the government strip back its support. There was no longer an energy rebate, a £400 discount on energy bills, so households felt little relief with the drop in bills. 

This winter, energy bills will still be more than £1,700 annually – hundreds above their pre-pandemic levels. And support has once again been stripped back. Cost of living payments for benefit claimants came to an end earlier this year, and the new Labour government has cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.

This winter also comes after years of a cost of living crisis which has left millions of people struggling to afford the essentials they need to survive, and many households are facing debt. Despite inflation reaching near normal levels, prices are still rising.

Charities are especially concerned about elderly people as the winter fuel payments are stripped back. Although the plan is to target the help of the poorest pensioners, it is estimated that nearly 800,000 people who should be eligible will miss out. 

Meanwhile, new government statistics show that the vast majority of disabled pensioners and over-80s will lose their winter fuel payment.

This has real-life consequences, with experts concerned that pensioners will put their health – and even their lives – at risk this winter. 

In this newsletter, we meet 78-year-old Nigel, who was so worried about his energy bills in the cost of living crisis that he didn’t put on his heating and was hospitalised with hypothermia for a month. 

It’s so important that pensioners get the help they are eligible for, so read to the end for a reminder on how to get pension credit and the winter fuel payment in time for the coldest months of the year.

Also this week, do you know someone who is changing the world for the better? Find out how to nominate them as a Big Issue Changemaker of 2025. Read on for more…

If you have a story to share, we want to listen. Get in touch at isabella.mcrae@bigissue.com or share your story here.

Nigel's story: 'He was in a terrible state'

Jonathan Bean’s elderly uncle Nigel was hospitalised with hypothermia because he did not put on his heating in the depths of winter. He was afraid of his energy bills.

“If his neighbour hadn’t popped in, he wouldn’t be alive now,” Bean, now the policy lead for campaign group Fuel Poverty Action, says. “He was in a terrible state. People don’t realise how dangerous this is. It’s on another level of criticality.”

There are fears many more elderly people will put their lives in danger this winter, as energy bills are set to rise again and the winter fuel payment has been slashed for millions of pensioners.

Read Nigel’s story and more about the fears for elderly people this winter here.

In case you missed it

Poor, sick and disabled pensioners to lose winter fuel payment: 'We are incredibly worried'. DWP analysis shows that hundreds of thousands of the poorest pensioners, and the vast majority of disabled pensioners and over 80s, will lose the payment. Get the latest.

How the death of toddler Awaab Ishak inspired the creation of an AI app to tackle damp and mould. claim.co.uk worked in partnership with the University of Salford to create a new smartphone app to identify damp and mould at its earliest stage. Read more.

These interest-free loans have a twist: Pay off on time and you might get money back. A new scheme hopes to encourage budgeting, help people afford essentials and rebuild credit scores, following in the footsteps of Iceland's Food Club. Find out more.

Millions of Brits struggle to buy enough food for their children, research finds. As child poverty in the UK remains high, Barnardo's has found 8% of parents have used food banks in the past year. Get the story.

Thousands call on Labour and DWP to scrap 'dangerous' disability benefit reforms. It is estimated that changes could plunge nearly half a million disabled people into poverty. Read about it.

Martin Lewis blasts councils putting vulnerable people at risk with aggressive debt collection. His charity found 73% of people in council tax debt who received a bailiff visit have a mental health problem. Here’s the story.

Do you know someone making the world better?

Every year since 2018, we’ve celebrated Changemakers – people who have not focused on themselves, but on the rest of us. It’s a tribute to the people and organisations who make the world a better place.

In 2024, for the first time, we did things differently. We invited readers to create our list of 100 Changemakers, and now for the second year in a row, we are giving readers the editorial reins again.

Do you know a trailblazer in your local community? Or is there an organisation that you admire? We want to hear about the people we need to showcase from all across the country.

Nominate a Big Issue Changemaker for 2025 here.

Like what you're reading? Let people know by going to our sign-up article and sharing it on your social networks!

How to check if you're eligible for pension credit

This week (16-22 September) is the ‘qualifying week’ for the winter fuel payment.

Pensioners need to be entitled to pension credit for at least one day in week September 16 to 22 to be eligible for a winter fuel payment for this winter.

But don’t panic about submitting your application this week: you can backdate your pension credit claim up to three months. This makes 21 December the last day you could apply for backdated pension credit in order to be eligible for the 2024-25 winter fuel allowance.

“People do not have to do anything extra to backdate their claim,” explain Citizens Advice. “If they make their application online, they will automatically be asked if they would like to backdate it. If they make their application over the phone the advisor will talk them through this.”

So, how do you know if you’re eligible? Find out here.