Winter is still with us for a while yet. That is why Gillian Peel, chief executive of Darlington Age UK, is reminding older people that her charity is ready to help with a host of winter-related problems and how you can help her help others.

What a winter! What can we say? Darlington has been lucky. We have escaped the worst of the flooding and so far, touch wood the weather has remained relatively mild. I say relatively mild because if you are sitting at home, deciding whether to eat or heat, it does not feel that mild and as everyone tells me, it once snowed in June.

Age UK Darlington is a local, not a national charity and with our partners have been working towards helping people in need in the borough of Darlington, particularly older people (50+) who can suffer badly from the effects of cold which can even damage their long term health. The people needing help are not always the most obvious people, they can be people who own their own house but have insufficient income to buy luxuries like fuel.

Every year 24,000 older people die prematurely because of cold related illnesses in the UK. They are caused by cold homes, insufficiently heated and poorly insulated and are also due to older people’s lack of understanding of health risks associated with cold weather and cold homes. Scandinavian countries have colder weather but no such similar spike in cold related deaths Some of the current activities Age UK Darlington is providing from its premises in central Darlington include: undertaking home energy checks and supporting people to change fuel suppliers through our HEAT project and providing information and tips on staying warm as part of our Keep Warm Keep Well Campaign.

The charity is also supporting older people to access any available funding for items such as boiler repairs.

“We can also help people to maximise their income through our free Information and Advice Service based at Beaumont Street West, behind Boyes. There are millions of pounds in unclaimed benefits which many older people are reluctant to claim but which could improve their quality of life. In this current year the service has claimed over £1.5 million in additional income for older people.”

Once a year, working with Trading Standards the charity conducts electric blanket tests and help those with failed blankets to purchase a replacement So far this year Age UK Darlington has distributed 100 winter warmth hampers.

“Our handyman has installed £40 worth of energy saving equipment free of charge for 50 people. The handyman service costs £7.50 an hour but funding is limited,” says Gillian.

Age UK Darlington is also working with Durham and Darlington Fire to identify those without smoke alarms.

“We also have ‘good friends’ and ‘befrienders’ who are helping us to identify people who may need support and our good friends will help those registered with us in many ways including snow clearance to ensure they are not isolated for long periods,” says Gillian.

Age UK Darlington hosts a variety of lunch clubs and have a wide range of activities taking place.

“Why don’t you join our Friendship Club, Darlington Stroke Club, the Veterans Café or our Dementia Café just to list a few. Make friends and take part, everyone is welcome,” says Gillian.

The charity even provides IT training and can support older people to have a go at IT in their own homes.

One of Age UK Darlington’s clients called Barbara, aged 86, lives alone and is very prone to falls, she was referred in June 2013 by an enablement support worker. Susan, an advisor from Age UK Darlington visited the client at home and helped her to complete the paperwork for an attendance allowance.

Barbara was awarded lower rate attendance allowance and as a result of this she also had a severe disability premium added to her pension credit, increasing her income.

“In January this year we were alerted by a good friend to the fact that Barbara’s boiler had broken down, Susan made a referral to Warm Up North who assessed the situation and by February, a new boiler had been installed. Barbara was very happy that she could now have a bath and her home was warm.”

Barbara is delighted she can continue to live in her own home feeling warm and increasing her chances of having better health. Her good friend continues to pop in to see her once a week, the reassurance that someone cares makes all the difference to her quality of life.

If you wish to become a ‘good friend’ or if you know of anybody who you think may need our help, you can contact or ask them to contact Age UK Darlington on 01325 362832 or ring 01325 345357 and ask for Susan or Helen for the HEAT project .

Alternatively you can visit ageukdarlington.org.uk or goodfriends.org.uk