Letters Arran Banner Week 22
Marie Curie has energy to support
Sir,
The announcement from Ofgem that energy prices will drop again from July 1 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 still worrying about how to pay their energy bills.
Everyone deserves to feel safe, warm and comfortable in their own homes without worry, yet 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 more than 3,500 people with support and information around energy bills and the cost of living. Our energy support officers can talk through benefits, the support available from energy suppliers, grants and give energy efficiency updates.
This free service, funded by UK Gas Distribution Networks, has identified more than £1 million worth of benefits for those in need. It is supporting people in communities across the UK as more than 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 and 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.
80th anniversary of D-Day landings
Sir,
To mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings on June 6, I wanted to take this opportunity to commemorate those who served in the Armed Forces in the lead-up, during and in the aftermath of D-Day.
The Allied landings were a turning point in world history. The RAF, along with their USAAF colleagues, had been preparing for the invasion for months, attacking German airfields, disrupting supply lines and attacking radar sites which made large parts of the channel ‘invisible’.
As the invasion fleet sailed under the protective fighter aircraft umbrella, the first Allied troops to land on D-Day were being carried in gliders towed by RAF tug aircraft. More than 8,000 RAF personnel took part, with more than 5,000 aircraft involved, including the many squadrons who protected the invasion fleet from German submarine attack.
Following the end of the war, life was difficult for many, especially for those that were wounded and for the families of those who lost their lives.
The RAF Benevolent Fund has provided support for thousands of Second World War RAF veterans and their families, from financial assistance to housing adaptations, including support to Aircraftswoman Rose Davies who was a radar operator supporting the landings. Rose, before her passing earlier this year aged 107, received regular assistance from us which helped her live with dignity and financial security.
From D-Day to today, the RAF Benevolent Fund remains by the side of the RAF, providing life-changing support for those who serve, have served and their families. Last year, we supported more than 42,000 veterans of all ages, families and those in uniform who keep us safe every day.
We can only provide our life changing support with the help of our friends and partners, relying on vital donations from our supporters. Together we make a difference. For more information and to donate, visit rafbf.org/donate&source=gmail&ust=1716974030526000&usg=AOvVaw0yU14O-n4aXIJ11NwlC0SR">rafbf.org/donate.
Yours,
Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot
Controller, RAF Benevolent Fund.
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Childcare and Education Worker - ARB15733 - Argyll and Bute Council
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