Yahoo Finance Cost of living crisis: Iceland giving £30 vouchers to pensioners
Budget supermarket Iceland is offering a £30 discount to pensioners struggling with the cost of living.
The supermarket made 40,000 vouchers available in August for those who have reached state pension age.
It has now made another 40,000 available after receiving an extra £1m of funding from Rothesay Foundation for the scheme.
Read more: Food prices rising at fastest rate since 2008 as inflation surges
The window to apply is already open and will close on Friday 16 September. Pensioners are encouraged to apply as soon as possible because the vouchers will be handed out on a first-come first-served basis.
Who qualifies for the voucher?
To qualify, you must be:
of state pension age
live independently, but not necessarily alone, or with a carer
rely solely on your state pension or other benefits for food and essentials
Is this a UK-wide campaign?
No. To qualify for the voucher you must also live in one of the following areas:
Birmingham
Croydon
Glamorgan
Glasgow
Greater Manchester
Huddersfield
Lambeth (London)
Liverpool
Newcastle
Newport
North Wales
Sheffield
Strathclyde
Sunderland
West Midlands
Wirral
These areas have been identified as the places where there are some of the highest numbers of pensioners living in material deprivation in the country.
How do I claim the voucher?
You'll need to call the Summer Cheer hotline to request a voucher. You can do that by ringing ring 0800 098 7877 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday to request a voucher.
If you qualify, you'll be sent a leaflet in the post with the £30 voucher which can then be used in 269 Iceland shops. They cannot be picked up in store, and will not be sent via bank transfer or cheque.
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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."
The vouchers can be used across more than one transaction, so if your shop does not reach £30, you can partially spend the voucher and save the rest for another time, in a similar way to a gift card.
Addy Loudiadis, of the Rothesay Foundation, said: “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. Going forward, 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”.
