A nan with painful arthritis that is made worse by the cold has said she can’t afford to keep her heating on. Marianne Kiely, 59, has been wrapping herself in blankets to save pennies for her grandkids' Poundland Christmas presents.
Desperate to still be able to buy her grandchildren presents, the loving nan from Willenhall, West Midlands, has been living without the warmth needed to soothe her arthritis. Marianne survives on Universal Credit as she is unable to work due to her health issues and has had to depend on a food bank.
Marianne told Birmingham Live: "We're having to keep the heating off. We've got no choice. I'm putting extra clothing on, to be honest. A couple of times already we have had to go without any electricity.
"I'll make sure the children have got presents, but it will be Poundland things. It won't be anything expensive as everything costs too much."
Marianne lives with her daughter who suffers with epilepsy and has applied for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) - but has so far been unsuccessful. Marianne says she has been left with no choice but to live without the heating for as long as she can bear.
The nan is “terrified” that things will get worse. She is scrimping on basics such as doing her washing just to keep costs down.
She said: "I'm turning everything off. Even the washing I'm letting it build up a bit more to save on electric and do it all in one go.
"I'm absolutely scared by how high everything is going to go. I don't know how I'm going to manage.
"I know the Government has helped with one-off payments but that's not going to go far in the long run. It's a scary situation."
