Iceland is helping pensioners face the cost-of-living crisis by offering £30 vouchers to help with their supermarket shop.
The £1million campaign will see it give a £30 voucher to up to 40,000 pensioners who rely solely on state pension and benefits to spend on food and other essentials.
Launched in partnership with The Rothesay Foundation, it will roll out across 269 Iceland stores in the 17 areas with the highest levels of pensioner deprivation.
The support will run for seven weeks from 1 August until 16 September.
40,000 pensions living independently or with a carer and relying on state pension and benefits are eligible for a £30 voucher
Iceland has launched the scheme following research by Age UK which shows that 1.7million pensioners were living in poverty in 2020/21 – 15 per cent of all pensioners.
More than 770,000 pensioner households (single people or couples) are also missing out on Pension Credit payments, worth around £1.5billion every year.
Older people struggling to pay their bills are being urged to ensure they don’t miss a crucial deadline to qualify for an extra £650 cost-of-living payment from the Government.
The first £326 is being paid out now, but the elderly still have until Thursday 18 August to get it by applying for pension credit.
Richard Walker, managing director of Iceland Foods, said: ‘Since the launch of the partnership last Christmas, the cost-of-living crisis has taken hold of the UK, and now more than ever, people are struggling to access the food they need.
‘No one should ever have to worry about how they are going to eat or drink, and we hope that the support we can offer across the UK will help pensioners access and enjoy a worry-free meal during this difficult time.’
Along with the vouchers, the campaign will also provide Age UK’s information guide on financial advice following research highlighting Pension Credit top-ups.
Find out if you are eligible
Individuals who are of pension age and live alone or with a carer and rely solely on state pension and benefits may be eligible for a voucher.
Eligible pensioners should call the Summer Cheer hotline on 0800 098 7877 to request their voucher. The telephone line will be open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Addy Loudiadis, Rothesay Foundation, added: ‘We hope our vouchers will provide a small amount of relief to the growing number of older people living in real financial difficulty in the UK.
‘We are committed to working with brilliant partners like Iceland and Age UK to help as many pensioners as possible get access to their full benefit allowances’.
Which stores are offering the scheme?
Areas where the vouchers will be made available to eligible pensioners include:
• Glasgow
• Strathclyde
• Greater Manchester
• Liverpool
• Wirral
• Newcastle North
• Sunderland
• Huddersfield/Barnsley
• Sheffield
• Birmingham
• West Midlands
• Glamorgan
• Newport
• North Wales
• Lambeth
• Croydon
To find out if your local Iceland store accepts these vouchers, visit iceland.co.uk/store-finder and put your postcode in the search bar.
Visit Age UK’s website to find out what benefits you may be entitled to
