She's been feeling cold all night.
And despite wearing a onesie and using a snug blanket, as temperatures drop, Angela Leivers is struggling to stay warm at home.
Like so many people she simply can’t afford to put her heating on - she’s surviving on a benefits income and her bills have just doubled - so she’s come here to enjoy a break from the cold.
Tucking into breakfast and a hot brew, the 60-year-old is finally warming up.
As she says: “It is so cold, but I can’t afford to put my heating on. I am so angry because we should not have to live like this.
“In my 60 years, I don’t think I have seen things like this before. I understand that this is partly because of the Ukraine war, but the Government should do more to help our situation.”
Today she’s come to The Chase cafe, in St Ann’s Advice Centre, Nottingham - one of the community spaces signing up to the Warm Welcome platform, backed by the Daily Mirror’s Warm Hearts appeal.
The centre has joined a growing register of safe places across the UK - everything shops to libraries and places of worship - helping people keep healthy this winter.
And for Angela, it’s a lifeline. She’s living day to day - trying to make her money last with nothing left to cover new price rises.
“I’m living off my PIP and ESA,” she explains.
“My electricity bill was £30 a month, now it is something like £60 or £70.
“I used to spend £30 a fortnight on food shopping, now it’s just £10.
“I use food banks, but I feel guilty, I once gave to them, and now I use one myself.
“We have had two prime ministers recently who are just bothered about lining their own pockets.“
The new initiative has been welcomed by other residents living in St Ann’s, ranked in the top 10 per cent most deprived areas in the country.
What was once a thriving estate, is now a shell of what it used to be with rows of derelict shops and little provision for young people and families.
The Chase Cafe has just extended its hours to cope with demand. They’re providing advice sessions on fuel bills and dealing with debts and offer hot soup and a roll on Wednesdays too.
As Rachel Graham, community engagement worker at the centre, says: “We’re seeing a lot more of the older generation and families becoming very worried about the cost of living and now our numbers for people using our foodbank has tripled, it is just heartbreaking.
“We know people are not putting their heating on anymore, we’re going back to the time where people will start using candles so we’re trying to always give safety advice to people, especially the older generation.”
“We have been inundated with requests for the supermarket vouchers again, so we hope to hand those out again.
Retail worker Michael Olson, 66, had intended to retire this year but he recently started a new job in a warehouse, to try and boost his income.
At home he gets in bed rather than switch the heating on and uses a torch at night. He says coming here provides some much-needed warmth and friendship.
“The way I stay warm is under my duvet,” he says.
“I haven’t used the heating in five years, I only put the immersion heater on to warm my water, because I just can’t afford it.
“The standing charge is 90% of my bill. My last bill was £54, and £44 of that was a standing charge. The £66 help towards the bill is great, but that will run out in a few months. I don’t put my electricity on, I just use my phone torch.
“Being a Warm Space will mean people can stay here for their dinner, stay warm and do activities, it is a great idea, the community has to get through this together. A lot of people need this for the social aspect.
“There are going to be deaths from this winter and the Government just ignores it.”
He adds: “There was a time when I had money and change in my pocket. Those days have long gone, but I also know what it is like to be homeless.
“It is hard to afford food shopping, so I look for reduced items. I now only buy the basics like eggs, milk, and bread.”
Former nursing home worker, Helena Crossley, 66, uses the cafe every day and is here with her friend, pensioner, Cecil Saunders, 76.
“I come here because of the heat,” she says.
“I am worried about the heating because I have storage heaters and they take 24 hours to warm up my bungalow. My bungalow is one of only a few left with these heaters in. It is run by the Metropolitan organisation and they have insulated the loft.
“I feel so sorry for all the young families with children. It makes you angry the way this country has gone, like we’re back in the 1940s.
“It gets me out of the house, I only live up the road, so it isn’t far for me.
“I will now stay here for my evening meal on Wednesdays, a neighbour has offered to walk
me home in the evenings.”
Her friend Cecil Saunders, also uses the cafe.
The 76-year-old, who enjoys the breakfasts, says: “Everyday the bills are going up and up, I always try to stay positive. I am on a pay as you go meter and it has always been my rule to never let it go down below £100.
“It took the council two years to sort my property out. There was so much damp, the wallpaper was peeling and a pipe had burst.
“I try to stay positive, but politically what is happening is bad business, but we just have to get on with it.”
