Five ways to save money with pet costs at an all-time high
· 3.4m Brits have given away pets this year as costs soar
· As price of pet products reaches all-time high, animal experts offer their money saving tips from tooth brushing to how to get the cheapest pet food
The price of owning a pet is on the rise, with inflation on pet products, such as food, health items and treats, up a massive 85% since 2015.
Pet food costs in particular have seen a stark rise, with shoppers hitting out at high price increases in supermarkets such as Tesco, Asda and Morrisons. The cost of pet care has also increased by 10% in the last year.
3.4m Brits made the heartbreaking decision to give up a pet in the last year, with rising costs a key factor. Trusted Housesitters, who provide pet sitting services, has looked into the data and offered five money saving tips for pet owners who may be struggling with costs.
1. Research different pet foods
Pet food can be one of the largest outgoings when owning a pet. Whilst some dogs and cats have sensitive stomachs, for many, putting them onto different food can be a great way to save money. Make sure you do your research and look at the ingredients – there are many reasonable priced brands which could save a lot. There are also price comparison supermarket apps, such as Trolley, so you can see where has the best prices on that day. Buying in bulk could also save you in the long run.
2. Brush your pet’s teeth
A study into dog’s teeth showed that 85% of dogs over 4 years old have periodontal disease[1], which results in infections and inflammation of the gums. Keeping your pet’s teeth clean can help to avoid hefty vet bills, brushing your cat or dog’s teeth every day (or at least twice weekly) can keep them healthy, which will save you money in the long run.
3. Learn to groom
Pet grooming is vital in making sure they stay healthy and comfortable, however it can be costly, at £43 on average a session, which can increase depending on the dog. If you are able to, learning to groom them at home can be a good money saving exercise. Think of things like clipping their nails, trimming their coats and cleaning around the eyes and ears, there are many helpful online sources which can help and if you are worried, or it can be impossible due to the breed then please do visit a groomer.
4. Don’t skip the vet visits
Make sure your dog stays fit and active, has plenty of clean water and don’t skip your vet visits, as it could lead to them catching things early, which otherwise may cost a lot to fix. Going every 3-6 months for a health visit could be life changing. You could also ask your vet about payment plans to spread the cost of any treatment.
5. Stick with tough dog toys
Whilst fluffy teddies may be cute, they often don’t last long with a dog involved! Durable, good quality toys will last longer, saving you money in the long run by outlasting cheaper alternatives.
For more useful advice on owning a pet, please visit:
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK
Healthy Heart Tip: Exercise and Menstruation
In the UK there are 15 million women of menstrual age. The average woman will menstruate around 500 times throughout her lifetime. We know that exercising can improve our cardiovascular health, but should you exercise during your period, and is it beneficial?
We cover some FAQs here:
Can exercise reduce menstrual cramps?
More research is needed in this area to give us a definite answer on how exercise can reduce period pain. Given the overall health benefits of exercise, and the relatively low risk of side effects reported in the general population, women may consider using exercise, either alone or in conjunction with other modalities to manage menstrual pain.
Do my iron levels change during my period?
Iron is important in making red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Exercise can lower the iron levels in your blood, especially if you exercise at a high intensity or for long periods of time. Heavy menstrual bleeding can make you more susceptible to iron deficiency anaemia.
In order to keep exercising, and maintain normal iron levels during your period, we recommend you look to consume iron rich foods (red meat, beans, nuts, dried fruit, fortified breakfast cereals) during menstruation.
Can over-exercising cause irregular or missed periods?
If you are over-training, and you’re burning far more calories than you are consuming, this can cause either irregular or missed periods. A regular period is a sign of good health. If you experience irregular or missed periods this can cause other serious health conditions, and therefore you are advised to speak to a nurse or doctor.
Exercise has many health benefits, and researchers have not been able to find any differences during the menstrual cycle in a woman’s ability to exercise. Consequently, it’s important to continue aiming to achieve 150 minutes of physical activity per week, even during your period.
From small jobs to big changes, here are our top tips for cutting your energy bills
WHICH? consumer research found that in August 2022, 65% of households cut back, dipped into savings or borrowed money in order to cover essential spending. And with most people’s gas boilers whirring into action this month as the temperature drops, outgoing expenses are only increasing.
Our experts have identified a variety of ways to reduce your heating energy bills this winter.
The big things can drastically change how much energy you use every year, while the small things can cheaply make an immediate dent in your bills during a time where a bit of help goes a long way.
Sometimes it’s simply a matter of using a new boiler setting or spending 15 minutes plugging a gap in your home that provided a welcome breeze during the summer heatwave. We’ve also listed a few more expensive, longer-term fixes. If you do feel able to, it’s worth thinking about whether any of these could suit your home.
Read on for our top tips for getting ahead this winter.
Emily Seymour, Which? Energy and Sustainability Editor, said:“Many people will be looking to save money by reducing their energy use this winter. Some easy ways to cut your bills include using radiator valves to make sure each room of your house is only ever as warm as you need it to be.
“If your home has a single room thermostat, it should be set at the lowest comfortable temperature as heating bills will rise by about 10 per cent for every additional degree you turn it up.
“Combi boiler owners can try turning its flow temperature down and the preheat setting off. Tap water will initially come out cool before it heats up, but you’ll be wasting less energy.
“If you have a hot water cylinder, you can’t make use of low flow temperatures. Instead, insulate your hot water tank with a jacket no less than 75mm thick and make sure you’ve got lagging on pipes.
“Simple steps like placing weatherproofing tape over gaps or putting down a draught excluder can guard against heat loss.”
Boilers are easy to cast as a cost-of-living villain. They’re big, sometimes noisy, most of them run on fossil fuels, and they can have a big impact on your energy bills – in fact, in most homes the boiler is the one single thing that uses up the biggest portion of your annual energy bill.
But a central heating system that’s working efficiently and using energy proportionate to your home’s heating need is still the best way to heat your home during the coldest months of the year.
For most people, the priority should be making your boiler cost less to use, and not deferring to replacements like portable heaters.
There’s a lot you can do to make your heating run more efficiently:
Get your boiler serviced. This will reduce the chance of a costly emergency repair and keep a new boiler in warranty. Plus, a well-maintained central heating system will run more efficiently, and you can ask your boiler engineer about whether your boiler’s settings can be toggled to run more cheaply. If you rent, you are within your rights to ask your landlord to arrange a boiler service every year.
Toggle pre-heat off. Combi boilers use water on demand, but sometimes they pre-heat water so it’s ready to get to taps quicker. This is nice, but it will keep your boiler burning more than it needs to.
Bleed your radiators – or ask an engineer to do it if you prefer – and install thermostatic radiator valves (TRVs) onto them so you can turn radiators off in rooms you don’t often use (more on this below).
Combi boiler owners should look at their flow temperature. You can save up to 8% on your heating bill by turning down the temperature of the water that gets circulated around your radiators. If your boiler heats this water to its max, your boiler won’t even condense, which means it’s running inefficiently.
The Heating & Hot Water Industry Council (HHIC) recommends that people adapt their boiler settings with the advice of a boiler engineer. This is particularly true if you have a system or regular boiler that keeps water stored in a tank. Because stored water needs to be heated a certain amount to avoid Legionnella bacteria, you should only change settings with professional advice if you have one of these.
However, if you have a combi boiler, you’ve made sure it’s safe and you’ve checked your boiler’s technical manual, you can adjust these settings yourself.
This setting is accessible to anyone and it can be changed using your boiler controls. The flow temperature for heating is generally symbolised by a little picture of a radiator, and for hot water, a picture of a tap. Up and down arrows will change the temperature settings.
It recommends a 55°C setting, but we suggest starting a bit higher initially to see if you’re comfortable with the change.
3. Insulate your boiler’s hot water cylinder and pipes
if you have a boiler with a hot water tank, the advice above doesn’t apply. That’s because boilers that store water in a tank usually can’t manage the efficiency gains of combis as they’re not well suited to running low flow temperatures without modification.
You shouldn’t change the flow temperature of a regular or system boiler with a hot water cylinder without consulting an engineer, because your boiler must be able to pasteurise stored water effectively to avoid bacteria such as Legionella developing.
However, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to improve your boiler’s efficiency. You’ll be using a lot of energy to heat up the water in your storage cylinder, and you don’t want to lose out on any of that. So make sure the cylinder itself is well insulated. This can be as easy as buying a jacket for about £20. It should be no less than 75mm thick according to industry standards.
You can also lag the pipes that carry water around your home for around £5 a metre. Water loses a lot of heat in transit, so it’s a small expenditure for a good long-term saving. It’s particularly useful to do it for the pipes coming in and out of the cylinder.
Lagging pipes will also reduce the risk of them freezing in a cold spell, which can be costly to repair.
Smart technology isn’t for everyone, but if you do like using your phone, tablet or voice assistant for managing your home, then a smart thermostat will give you easy and precise control over your central heating.
They’re designed to provide automation to help you use your heating at the best times. Whether it’s toggling your boiler when you’re nearby to benefit from it, learning your routine so it can predict the optimal times to run or even checking the weather forecast to anticipate increases and decreases in heating need, smart home heating is becoming increasingly clever.
While many of these features are designed for your comfort, rather than your wallet, smart thermostats really come into their own when it comes to making savings if you set up zonal heating with compatible radiator valves.This means you can vary the routine and temperature of different rooms so you’re not wasting energy by heating rooms at the wrong times.
For example, you might want to programme your kitchen to get a burst of heating in the morning before you put the kettle on and your living room to be warmest in the early evening, while you’re happy for your bedroom to stay cold all day until you’re about to go to bed. All of these adjustments mean you’re saving crucial kilowatts by never heating a room you’re not actually using.
Since the introduction of new legislation in 2018, new gas boilers need to come with one of four energy-saving add-ons. Smart heating controls are one of them. But if you have an older boiler you can still buy and install a smart thermostat separately.
If smart tech isn’t for you, you can still make significant improvements by installing manually operated thermostatic radiator valves, or TRVs. They control the heat of your home by adjusting how much hot water flows through the radiator they’re fitted to, so you can make sure each room of your house is only ever as warm as you need it to be.
It works by sensing the room temperature and opening or closing the valve as appropriate.
The numbers on TRVs determine how much a radiator is allowed to heat up. They correspond more to a level of comfort than a specific temperature, but as a rough guide the following applies:
0
Off
* (the maintenance setting)
The radiator will turn on as a protective measure when the temperature nears 0°C.
1
Approximately 12°C, a low room temperature for an unoccupied room
2
Approximately 16°C, a lukewarm heat for an occupied room.
3
Approximately 20°C, a comfortable heat for an occupied room.
4
Approximately 24°C, a warm heat for an occupied room.
5
The valve is fully open.
Use trial and error. We recommend using settings two and three to try and cut heating use, knowing that you can go higher if you’re feeling chilly.
If you’ve also turned down your boiler’s central heating flow temperature, you might find you need to open your TRVs to higher settings to reach comfortable temperatures.
Smart radiator valves can work with smart thermostats to do this automatically. Some of them also take temperature readings to fine-tune your thermostatic system.
6. Turn your thermostat down a little
It’s age-old advice, and for people who are already frugal with their heating it may not apply. But each degree you turn your thermostat down is energy saved. According to the NHS, temperatures as low as 18°C are healthy for most people.
The Energy Saving Trust claims that turning your thermostat down by one degree can save you up to 10% off your heating bill. Realistically, a lot of variables affect this, but even one degree lower will move your bills in the right trajectory.
For older people, Age UK reminds that very low temperatures can increase your risk of flu or other breathing problems, and can raise your blood pressure. When you’re older, your blood pressure takes longer to return to normal once you get cold. Try to make sure you’re keeping at least one room at a comfortable temperature for you, and keep the doors closed as much as you can to keep that room as warm as possible.
7. Only use electric heaters sparingly
We’re often asked whether people should turn off their heating completely and replace it with electric heaters. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to be cost effective over long periods of time.
Portable electric heaters use electricity to warm the air by convection, either with an exposed heating element, or with a radiator design that transfers heat from the element through a system of fins.
They are great at providing a quick heating fix for a short period of time, such as for a 10-minute blast on a particularly freezing morning. And if your central heating system isn’t working, they’re reliable back-ups.
It’ll take a portable heater between 15 – 30 minutes to raise the temperature of a medium-sized room by 10ºC at full blast. After that it will toggle on and off as needed to maintain temperature, based on its thermostat.
Remember that you pay for energy by the unit. With the current price cap, electricity is much more expensive than gas. So be prudent when you use your electric heater in place of gas.
They usually have rated outputs of 2 or 3kW – that’s how many they’d get through in an hour on full blast. For reference, that’s about the same amount of energy as a kettle. Heaters do generally have settings that let them run at lower outputs too.
If you’re on a standard variable tariff, the average unit price for dual fuel customers is 34p per/kWh for electricity and 10.3p per/kWh for gas. That means that a 2kW portable heater at its full output would use 34p of electricity every half an hour.
If you’re short on cash, there are things you can do right now to plug in gaps in your home and hold onto your heat.
You can draught proof any gaps in your home, whether that’s keyholes, postboxes, door cracks, cavities near doors and windows, or gaps around electrical outlets and pipes. Just remember that homes do need some ventilation, so make sure you leave any purpose-built vents clear, such as window trickle vents or grills in wodden flooring.
Draught-proofing may involve putting down tape or a draught excluder where there’s a draft. Even something basic like a door snake is a help in the war against heat loss. Many of these solutions cost less than a tenner, or can be homemade.
Other tools include:
Adhesive weatherproof tape made of PVC or foam to go around doors and windows.
Threshold seals to go on either side of doors.
Letterbox excluders with brush pile material.
Thermoplastic rubber (TPR) to fit flexibly into door and window cavities.
Pillows designed to fit inside an open chimney to block off draughts when it’s not in use.
One visit to a DIY shop can provide you with several small solutions that don’t break the bank and can be installed yourself.
While individual draught-proofing measures are unlikely to save huge sums from your energy bills in isolation, collectively they will make your home feel more pleasant and cosy to be in. You might even find you can comfortably turn your thermostat down a degree.
In the long run, the key way to keep energy bills low is to trap as much as possible of the heat we generate inside our homes.
If you have the money to do it, insulation is a very good long-term investment. As energy bills go up, the time it takes to see a return on your investment becomes shorter. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that having a professional install loft insulation in a typical semi-detached home would cost around £480 in October 2022, but once it’s done you’d save £355 a year on your energy bills. So in less than 18 months you’d be making a saving.
Professional installation in a detached home would cost more – around £630 – but the savings are as much as £590 a year. And you’ll be saving around 1,000kg CO2 emissions from being released.
So it’s a win-win: you’ll waste less energy and be able to run central heating more cheaply – and break even relatively quickly.
Plus, you’ll be ready for whatever comes next. The central heating options of the future will operate more cheaply if homes can retain heat. Technology like heat pumps are able to operate efficiently because they’re designed for well insulated properties.
Floor insulation usually comes next, and it can reportedly reduce heat loss by 15%.
Cavity wall insulation is useful for properties built in the last century. It’s injected into the gap between your outer and inner walls.
Solid wall insulation can be placed within or outside a wall that’s not eligible for cavity wall insulation. It’s very expensive to install, so a longer term investment.
The energy efficiency of your home or of the home you’re renting is quantified by an EPC certificate. Find out how to get assessed and what the ratings mean here.
10. Update windows with double glazing or alternatives
Windows are a source of heat loss in any home. But if you have single glazing, you’ll notice you need much more energy to heat your home sufficiently. Double or even triple-glazing windows will reduce your heating needs dramatically.
Installing A-rated double glazing could save between £95 and £115 a year on the heating bill of a typical home. However, it doesn’t come cheaply.
We ask Which? members to rate the double glazing companies they’ve actually used.
If you need a quick fix and don’t have the money to spend, window foam seal, foam sealant or metallic brush strips can all help.
We’ve tested secondary glazing film in the past, like clingfilm for your windows, but we thought it wasn’t very resilient. It also needed re-stretching with a hair dryer periodically.
Thick curtains across windows can make a big difference too. Drawing them creates a barrier between your room and the elements and keeps your heat inside.
11. Explore home grants
If you’re replacing your heating system, the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme helps you to decarbonise with a heat pump if your home has no outstanding insulation recommendations.
With the latest price cap, a heat pump needs to run at an efficiency of 280% to have parity with a gas boiler’s running costs. Heat pumps can run at 300-400% efficiency, so they can prove cheaper to run.
Other grants can help if you’re in a vulnerable situation, such as:
Cold weather payment to top-up your energy bills during cold snaps.
Winter fuel payment to help people born before September 1955 pay their energy bills.
Fuel Direct lets you deduct essential bills directly from income support, Universal Credit and other assistance available to you. The amount is decided by Jobcentre Plus or your pension centre.
The government’s 2022 Energy Price Guarantee and Energy Bill Support Scheme will both provide households in the UK with a bit of extra help this winter.
Families and friends have a crucial role to play in ensuring Scotland’s social security payments reach those who need them most.
On a visit to a Citizens Advice Bureau, as part of Challenge Poverty Week, Social Security Minister Ben Macpherson said talking about benefits would help drive take-up and reduce stigma about accessing benefits. The Scottish Government urges people to make sure they get the benefits they are entitled to.
These payments provide support to people on low incomes, people with disabilities, carers, and young people entering the workplace.
During the visit to the Citizens Advice Bureau in Muirhouse, Mr Macpherson met staff and volunteers who provide information and advice about available financial assistance and wider support.
Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said: “We are urging as many people as possible to talk to family, friends and other people they know to encourage them to apply for benefits they may be entitled to. We want people to get any support that they are eligible for.
“We know that word of mouth helps to raise awareness of Social Security Scotland’s payments, and those provided by the UK Government which may be needed to access Scottish benefits. We also want anyone who thinks they might be eligible for payments to check what’s available to them.
“While several of our payments are designed for people on low incomes there are also others which provide support to disabled people, young people starting their careers after a period of unemployment, and carers including young carers.
“Social security is a shared investment in people and supports building a fairer, more equal society. The current cost of living crisis shows that any of us could need this support at some point in our lives. That is why it is right that we invest in social security together.
“The Scottish Government is grateful for the impactful role that Citizens Advice advisers play in promoting and supporting access to social security.”
The Scottish Government’s new website provides information on the wide range of advice and financial support available.
Citizens Advice Edinburgh Chief Executive Benjamin Napier said: “The Citizens Advice network in Scotland encourages everyone to check that they are receiving the income they are entitled to.
“Every year, millions of pounds of welfare entitlement go unclaimed. At a time of increasing costs and pressures on household budgets, we strongly encourage people to get in touch with their local Citizens Advice Bureau or use our online tools like www.moneymap.scot to see if they could be receiving more money.
“Last year the CAB network across Scotland helped over 174,000 people and 2.4 million people checked our online advice pages.
“Advice from CABs is free, impartial and confidential. We never charge people for advice and are for everyone regardless of background or circumstance. Social Security Scotland have 12 new benefits and we want to make sure everyone knows their rights of access them.”
#ChallengePovertyWeek
GRANTON Information Centre remains committed to tackling the injustice of poverty in Edinburgh. We do this by:
* Ensure that our service users are getting all the financial assistance they are entitled to by carrying out ‘benefit checks’ and ‘income maximisation’ appointments
* Assisting our clients to make benefits claims and apply for grants on their behalf
* Assisting our service users to challenge decisions if their benefit has been stopped/ sanctioned/ reduced/ refused or overpaid
* Discuss various options with our clients who are struggling to cope with debt, including liaising with lenders and arranging bankruptcies
* Organising food and clothing bank referrals.
We are here to help! Contact us: appointments@gic.org.uk / 0131 551 2459 / 0131 552 0458
This week is Dyslexia Awareness Week (4th– 10th October) and an education expert has shared five pieces of advice on how to support children if they have learning disabilities.
Interestingly, research conducted by Oxford Home Schooling revealed that while overseeing their children’s learning during lockdown, many parents spotted potential signs of a learning difficulty.
Nearly half (47%) identified symptoms of dyslexia (difficulty reading, writing and spelling), whilst more than one in four (29%) observed possible indicators of dysgraphia (impaired handwriting or spelling).
To help parents who now think their child may have a learning difficulty, Greg Smith, Head of Operations at Oxford Home Schooling, has put together a guide on how best to support your child and what your next steps should be.
1. Get your child diagnosed
If your child’s difficulties are having a significant impact on their learning, it’s a good idea to have them tested for a condition and diagnosed.
A diagnosis can open the door for your child to receive appropriate learning support in school. This includes allowing them extra time in exams and being supported by a teaching assistant, so it’s a good idea to look into this as early as possible.
If you’ve observed signs that your child may have a learning difficulty, you should speak to your GP, who can either make the diagnosis themselves, or refer the child for the appropriate tests.
2. Speak to your GP
Once a child is diagnosed with a learning difficulty, you should consult your GP. They will then be able to recommend and refer you to an appropriate specialist for support1.
Specialists can include speech and language therapists, educational and clinical psychologists and paediatricians, among others.
3. Make the school aware
Once you have an idea of the areas where your child is struggling, you will need to make their school and teachers aware of the situation.
This will allow the school to put extra support in place should your child require it. They will need time to consider how the condition might affect the child’s learning and work out how best to adapt their teaching.
4. Talk to others
Many parents find it difficult to process the diagnosis of a learning difficulty and it can be a challenge to adapt to your child’s new needs.
Don’t be afraid to seek out the support of other parents who have experienced similar situations. There are many support groups and forums out there for advice, and you and your child can even build new friendships.
5. Support your child
The important thing to remember is that you need to support your child, whether this is with their learning, or any other aspects of life that they struggle with.
Being diagnosed with a learning difficulty is by no means the end of the world and children with such conditions go on to enjoy rich and fulfilling lives.
You will need to be patient, and it may be challenging at times, but with the correct support system in place your child will be fine.
For information on the benefits of homeschooling for children with learning disabilities and special educational needs, head to this page:
From today (Monday 3rd October 2022), the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service is changing its guidance around Covid-19. Please read the important information below:
Face masks
It is no longer mandatory to wear a face mask when you come to give blood. However, it is still recommended you wear a face mask or face covering. We can provide a face mask for you.
If you would like any further advice or guidance please contact us in advance, or speak to us when you come to session.
Social distancing
Social distancing will be removed across all blood donation sessions.
Staying well
Please do not come to session if you have symptoms of Covid-19, flu or any other common respiratory infection. These may include:
continuous cough
high temperature, fever or chills
loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell
shortness of breath
unexplained tiredness, lack of energy
muscle aches or pains that are not due to exercise
not wanting to eat or not feeling hungry
headache that is unusual or longer lasting than usual
sore throat, stuffy or runny nose
diarrhoea, feeling sick or being sick
If you have any of these symptoms, please let us know so we can re-allocate your appointment to someone else.
Our Covid-19: Advice for donors live article remains on the front page of our site, and will continue to be updated as and when changes are made.
· Vulnerable customers also more likely to be pushed into higher cost borrowing
· One in four vulnerable customers now struggling to keep up on payments
Soaring energy, food and fuel prices have forced 1.2 million UK adults (2%) to turn to unscrupulous loan sharks in the last 12 months, new research from the Vulnerability Registration Service has revealed.
Released during National Stop Loan Sharks Week, the research also revealed that this picture is twice as bad for the most vulnerable in society, with 630,000 vulnerable people (4%) having used loan sharks in the last year.
Victims are unable to settle the growing amount of money they owe, while loan sharks use intimidation, threats and violence against them and their families.
Vulnerable people have also increasingly been pushed into higher cost borrowing with 12% of vulnerable people taking out higher cost borrowing in the last 12 months, compared to 6% of the general population. As a result, 27% of vulnerable people admitted that they were in financial distress and struggling to keep on top of payments.
Helen Lord, CEO of the Vulnerability Registration Service,said: “Vulnerable people are trying to keep their heads above water and trying to access any finance that is available to them. But it appears that the only option opening up to them is higher cost finance, which they can’t really afford.
“When these avenues are exhausted, and they are being chased for payment, they panic and can see loan sharks as their only way out, only to find themselves trapped in a cycle of debt and extreme misery.
“The research highlights how crucial it is for legal credit lenders and providers to do much more to identify their vulnerable customers, so they can adjust their approach, offer more affordable options and ultimately ensure their treatment of them is fair and appropriate to their circumstances.
Placing pressure on people who have already have debts that are spiralling out of control is pushing them into the hands of illegal money lenders who will make their lives a living hell.”
Tony Quigley, Head of the England Illegal Money Lending Team, said:“Loan sharks are predatory, exploitive and dangerous. They lure victims in with false promises and a seemingly safe place to turn for help but once you are in, these unscrupulous lenders trap you into a cycle of debt and make it as hard as possible for you to escape.
“We’re committed to ending this kind of exploitation once and for all by making sure loan sharks are taken off the streets. Now more than ever we need to expose these criminals for what they are and protect those most at risk of financial harm.
“If you are struggling to make ends meet, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. There are many agencies out there that can provide support and help get your finances back on track.
“Loan sharks should always be avoided as they will make your situation much worse and cause significant damage to your physical and mental health. If you need help dealing with loan sharks, our helpline is available 24 hours a day on 0300 555 2222”
The Vulnerability Registration Service and the England Illegal Money Lending Team formed a unique and powerful partnership last year to enable service providers (i.e. banks, utilities, mobile phone companies, local authorities, councils…etc.) to play a vital and active role in protecting those customers who have fallen victim to loan sharks from further harm.
For anyone affected by loan sharks, confidential advice and support is available from the Illegal Money Lending Team. Call the Stop Loan Sharks 24 Hour Helpline on 0300 555 2222 or visit the website for more information at www.stoploansharks.co.uk
National Stop Loan Sharks Week runs from the 26 September to the 2 October and aims to highlight the help available to those that have been targeted by loan sharks, as well as raise awareness of this hidden crime in communities.
For more information on the Vulnerability Registration Service, visit:
Now that autumn has officially started, Dobbies’ Edinburgh store will host a Grow How Session on Saturday 1 October at 10:30am, focused on seasonal gardening tips. This free session will showcase the perfect plants for autumn tubs and baskets, how customers can create an instant colour display and top maintenance tips as we approach the cooler months.
Hosted by local Dobbies’ gardening experts, customers will be taught how to instantly brighten up their tubs and baskets and refresh their outside space by using Pansies, Violas and Wallflowers that will last right the way through winter.
Attendees will also learn how they can plan for the year ahead by preparing spring bulbs with expert advice on how best to group them in beds and borders. From Daffodils and Crocus which flower early, to indoor bulbs like Hyacinths and Narcissus Paperwhite, there will be hints and tips on how to prepare for Spring 2023.
The Edinburgh session will also emphasise the benefits of using Dobbies’ Peat Free No 3 Mature Plant Compost, organic feeds, and safer pest control products for their green space and environment.
Marcus Eyles, Horticultural Director at Dobbies, said: “Autumn is one of our favourite seasons of the year at Dobbies and it’s a prime time for gardening. Not only can you add bursts of colour to brighten your garden, but it’s also a great chance to get ahead and prepare for spring.
“We’re committed to sustainable gardening, and we hope our free autumn gardening Grow How session will not only inspire Edinburgh gardeners to carry on with their efforts as the season changes, but also encourage more people to take up gardening for a blooming 2023.”
For more details on Dobbies’ Edinburgh autumn Grow How session in October, visit: events.dobbies.com.
For customers unable to attend the events, Dobbies currently has a three for two offer across bulbs in-store and online.
Following the news about The Queen’s death children and young people have turned to Childline counsellors for support. They have discussed a range of different things, including:
Sadness for the loss of The Queen
Past bereavements that this has reminded them of (family members or friends passing away)
Issues around mourning in public and school’s announcements/assemblies
Feeling overwhelmed with all the news at the moment – with The Queen’s passing being one more sign of “how the world is getting worse”
The monarchy’s legacy
What the new King will do
Advice – for parents and carers
Following a huge and public loss like that of Queen Elizabeth II, it is normal for children and young people to feel the impact of the grief in their communities.
This may have raised questions for them about loss or remind them of their own experiences of bereavement.
There are a number of ways that adults can support children at this time:
Let them know that you’re there to listen to them and remind them that sharing how they feel can really help. Equally, give them space if they wish to be alone to process how they are feeling
Remind them that there are lots of small ways to let their feelings out. This could include expressing their feelings by doing something creative such as writing a letter to that person or keeping a diary of how they’re feeling
If they are upset about someone who has died, encourage them to think of the happy times they had with the person who died and share this with you so you can talk about them together
Remind them that it can take a long time to feel better if they have experienced a bereavement and that this is normal
If they are finding it hard to talk to you, let them know they can contact Childline for free, confidential support and advice on 0800 1111 or www.childline.org.uk
Shaun Friel, Childline Director, said:“It is not surprising that the death of Her Majesty The Queen has brought up different feelings for children and young people. When big world events take place such as this, we often see them being raised by children in Childline counselling sessions.
“Those that have turned to our counsellors have talked about a range of things including sadness about her death, questions about loss and grief, and for some young people, The Queen’s death has reminded them about a bereavement they have experienced in their own lives which will feel very difficult for them.
“Others have highlighted that it feels like another piece of very overwhelming news at the moment.
“Death is a very natural and inevitable part of life, but its also a very overwhelming topic for children to process and understand. It is important that children know there is someone they can talk to if they are feeling worried or upset. Remind them that there are trusted adults who can listen to them and that they can always contact Childline for free, confidential support and advice.”
Sir Peter Wanless, CEO of NSPCC, said: “Everyone at the NSPCC is devastated by the death of Her Majesty The Queen. She was our Royal patron for more than 60 years, which was just one of the countless ways she made a huge difference to the lives of children in the UK. Our thoughts go out to her family, including our current patron the Countess of Wessex.
“Her Majesty The Queen supported the NSPCC in a number of ways, including attending our centenary thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1984, visiting our national training centre in 1989 and hosting a reception at St James Palace in 2007 to mark the end of our FULL STOP appeal. The NSPCC’s Royal patron is currently the Countess of Wessex.
“We know that during this moment of national shock and mourning, many children will be feeling anxious. Support is available for children struggling with anxiety at Childline: Worries about the world | Childline”
AFTER weeks of growing pressure, the Government has finally announced it will step in to help households and businesses from soaring energy prices.
Under new plans announced by Liz Truss, a freeze will protect tens of millions from bills hitting unmanageable levels.
But the policy, the first major move of Ms Truss’ premiership, comes at a cost. Not just will the Government have to find an estimated £150bn to fund the scheme. There are also fears that many energy providers could look to ration fuel if households don’t reduce their usage over the Winter.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been bombarded with advice on how to save money on our bills.
Here energy saving expert Jonathan Rolande, from House Buy Fast, condenses them into a brilliant a-z guide which could help households to save thousands of pounds a year.
Jonathan said: “The reality is the full impact of the cost of living crisis is yet to kick in and the full impact of the squeeze will probably be most acutely felt in the next few weeks.
“But there are steps you can take to save money which, if you introduce now into your daily lives, can also help you save money for the rest of your life.”
Here’s Jonathan’s A-Z guide on saving money:
Avoid tumble dryers. They use a shocking amount of energy, and can cost upwards of £300 a year to run based on usage twice a week. You can easily work out how much it costs to run a tumble dryer yourself based on your specific model if you know the kWh. As a more cost-effective alternative consider drying clothes outside on a washing line or even investing in a heated clothes airer which usually costs around 6p an hour to run.
Bleed your radiators. Not only will it release pressure on your finances, trapped air can make your radiators less efficient, so they’ll be slower to heat up.
Draw the curtains. It sounds simple but failing to do so means you can lose a lot of heat at night in every room.
Dusty condensing coils behind your fridge and freezer, which are used to cool and condense, can trap air and create blockages. This is not what you want. Keep them clean and they’ll stay cool and use less energy.
Exhaust fans around the home cost a fortune. Turn off kitchen or bath exhaust fans as soon as possible after you’ve used them.
Fill it up. Don’t worry I’m not referring to the petrol tank. Fill up the washing machine and dishwasher. Research by Thames Water and Gov.uk recently found that 68 per cent of households are only putting the dishwasher and washing machine on when they are completely full in a bid to save energy. It is a savvy move to wait until a washing machine or dishwasher is full as the appliances will use the same amount of energy to clean fewer items. So it’s smarter to wait to do fewer washes with more items, than waste energy on more half full washes.
Going away on holiday or a business trip? Make sure to turn off your water heater while you are gone. Otherwise it will keep heating the water in a “standby mode” costing you money in the process.
Hive is, in my opinion, the best energy saving app on the market right now. Use the app to keep track of what’s happening at home and set schedules or switch any home electrical device on or off rather than leaving them on standby.
Insulate your loft. I know it’s probably a job you’ve had on the to-do list for a long-time but now is the perfect moment. You can save hundreds of pounds a year by creating better insulation up there.
Things may be tight, but consider treating yourself to a jacket – for your boiler… The best come with a recommended thickness of 75mm and help keep your water hotter for longer and reduce your energy bills. A new one is easy to fit – the materials will only cost you about £25 and it could save upwards of £100-£150 a year.
The kitchen is a great place to cook up money saving methods. Consider using slow cookers and pressure cookers during the spending squeeze. They are more economical and you can batch cook dishes like stews, curries and soups that will last for days.
Loft hatches are the forgotten item when it comes to energy saving plans. Attach insulation to the top of it and create a seal with draught proofing around the perimeter. So many people spend a huge amount insulating their lofts, but neglect the loft hatch completely meaning lots of heat escapes up through the hatch. If you are looking for a really simple way to save energy in the home, then ensuring the loft hatch is adequately insulated and draught proofed is a great way to get started.
My Earth App is one of my favourite go-to apps at the moment. Originally created by researchers and students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Human Ecology, the app is designed to help you keep track of your personal energy usage, your savings and your total impact. The app contains five main categories: electricity, recycling, travel, food and usage. It includes day-to-day activities to measure how environmentally friendly your actions are. These activities can range from small measures like recycling your glass bottles to larger tasks like switching your appliances with energy-efficient replacements. It also includes a diary for users to check off their activities and lets you visualise how small steps can add up to a bigger impact environmentally.
Nighttime rates are a must during this ongoing credit crunch. A few energy providers charge less for using electricity at certain times of day or night). These off-peak hours tend to be quieter periods when power demand is at its lowest, for example between 8pm and 8am. The name for this type of charging approach is time of use tariffs. The amount you pay depends on the time of day you use electricity. Ask your provider.
Nothing makes life better than a brew. But don’t overfill the kettle. Boiling more water than necessary each time could save you £36 year, based on calculations from the Energy Saving Trust.
Kettles will vary in the amount of energy they use, but you can easily work out how much it costs to boil a kettle by checking the wattage and price you pay for energy per pence/kWH.
Print on both sides of paper. A friend of mine suggested this to me last year and within a few months I’d saved a packet on my printer ink costs. So many of us now work from home and most schoolchildren need to print off work. By switching your printer settings to double-side you can save money double quick.
Flick on the quickwash settingon a dishwasher. The longer washers soak plates at a lower temperature so are cheaper
Radiators are generally set too high in most homes. turn the thermostat down in unused rooms. If you lower the temperature of your radiator down by just one degree you can save £55 a year.
Showers….Look, I’m not going to force you to get in and out in four minutes. If you can, great. One minute less in the shower could save you up to £80 annually.
But there are other things you could do too – like fitting a water-efficient shower head.
The Energy Saving Trust predicts that a water-efficient shower head could save a household up to £195 a year. One minute less in the shower could save you up to £80 annually.
Modern shower heads use current-limiting technology to save up to 40 per cent water usage, while showering under normal water pressure. This will cost you around £20-£40, but will save you in the long run.
Install tap aerators. These ‘inject’ air into the water as it comes out the tap, so while it looks like there is no impact on the flow rate, a fraction of the water is used. These are especially useful if you are on a water meter.
USwitch, Compare the Market and other comparison sites are a must at the moment. Look at them regularly – once a fortnight if you can – as they will help you check to make sure you’re on the correct tariff
The vehicles we own are increasingly being powered by electricity. Aim to charge your car overnight when you could benefit from a cheaper night-time rate for your power.
Wasting power is a no-no in the current climate and leaving appliances on standby is like pouring money down the drain. It’s widely reported that the average household could be wasting as many as 7,374 hours of electricity every year when a device is left on standby.
It’s easy to do. For example, many of us disconnect our phones but leave the charger plugged in. And some devices, such as TVs, don’t have an easily accessible on-off switch.
But leaving devices on standby uses up power – sometimes known as ‘vampire energy’ – and over the course of a year it can really add up.
These are some indicative annual savings, found particularly among older devices:
· Turning off the light in an unused room – £25
· Television – £16-24
· Set-top box – £20-23
· Games devices – £16
· Smart speakers – £3.45 per speaker
· Microwave – £16
And if you’re working from home, don’t forget about office equipment:
· Printers (particularly those with LED displays) – £3-4 a year
· Laptops – £5 (but make sure you shut down and switch off rather than simply closing the lid)
X4 – that’s the amount more you pay for electric heating compared to gas. If you don’t have a choice opt for infrared or if funds allow, try and push for a heat pump – these two types of electric heating are by far the most efficient.
Yellow light bulbs and other LED saving options are just a great way of saving cash. You can save £2-3 per year for every traditional halogen bulb you switch to a similarly bright LED bulb. If the average UK household replaced all of their bulbs with LEDs, it would cost about £100 and save about £40 a year on bills.
Replacing a 50W halogen with an LED equivalent could cut your energy costs by £75 over the lifetime of the bulb – not including the price all the replacement halogen bulbs you no longer need to buy; of a typical LED costs between £2.50-12.
Zap-map is a brilliant new app. It lists and regularly updates electric charging points for cars. You can download it for free and find available charge points locally by searching the most comprehensive database of charging points, plan journeys, share updates and pay for charging on participating networks.It allows you to locate the 33,000 publicly available charging points in the UK when you are out and about, taking the stress out of electric vehicle driving.
