CHARITIES have voiced their concern about the potentially crippling impact of the cost of living crisis.
Rocketing energy, food and petrol prices have left families across the country desperately struggling to make ends meet.
The number of people asking for help from the Citizen’s Advice Bureau has hit a record high as people seek support.
And charities, including The Myton Hospices and the Shakespeare Hospice, are facing incredibly challenging economic times themselves.
The Myton Hospices cares for patients with life-limiting illnesses, and also supports their families, at hospices in Warwick, Rugby and Coventry.
David Pratt, Myton’s director of corporate resources, told the Observer he was “genuinely concerned” about the impact the spiralling cost of living and energy prices could have on the charity as it marks its 40th anniversary.
He said: “We need to raise £9.1million this year to continue providing our services free of charge to people living with terminal illnesses, and their families, that’s £750,000 every month.
“We continually keep a very close eye on our expenditure and try to reduce it wherever we can so that we maximise the funds available for patient care.
“We are very fortunate to have unwavering support from our local community and know that they will continue to support us as much as they can. We have relaunched our special friends and supporter’s scheme called ‘My Myton’ and are asking people to give £5 or £10 per month if they are able to.”
The Myton Hospices also operate a number of charity shops across the area.
Mr Pratt continued: “Our shops help to fund the care of one in four patients and are a vital part of our income generation – whilst we are mindful of the running costs we may also see more people turning to charity shops as an affordable option.
“This could be mutually beneficial and we pride ourselves on offering good quality items at affordable prices.”
The Shakespeare Hospice, based in Stratford, also cares for patients with life-limiting illnesses.
Karen Davies, the hospice’s head of income generation, said they were very concerned about the added financial pressure on their patients and their families at a time when they were most vulnerable.
She continued that the hospice recognised it too would be impacted by increasing costs.
“As a charity we are looking at how we will manage the increasing costs whilst anticipating an impact on our ability to generate income. For many of us, we are still recovering from the pressure and loss of income due to Covid-19 and hope this is short-term and additional support is made available to everyone.”
Meanwhile Chancellor and Stratford MP Nadhim Zahawi has assured he is committed to helping people both locally and nationally through the crisis.
The government has been accused of not doing enough to help people, but Mr Zahawi insists he has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to come up with proposals for the next prime minister to bring in more cost-of-living support.
The government has already announced all households will get a £400 rebate on energy bills this winter, while low income and vulnerable households will receive an additional £650.
