Couple ‘will have to make sacrifices’ to heat Hospital Road home

A LOCAL lady and her husband from the Hospital Road have said that the revocation of their fuel payments will mean having to cut back on visiting loved ones this winter.

Valerie and John Duncan of Omagh were one of thousands of local pensioners to be given £200 by the government last year to help heat their home.

However, this winter, they will receive no such support, which they say will mean making significant sacrifices to save money to purchase electric and oil.

“That extra couple of pound was very, very useful,” said Valerie, speaking with the UH.

“We really did depend on it,” she said.

“We are part of Campsie Over-50s group, and nearly everybody in there would tell you they were the same: The fuel payment was a real lifeline for many people.”

Without it, she said, the funds will have to be found elsewhere.

“There is no way that we can go without heat during the winter, which means we will have to save money some other way.

“We will probably have to do smaller grocery shops and reduce the amount of food coming into the house. On top of that, we’ll have to make decisions about where and when we can use the car. We have a son in Co Down, and relatives in Fivemiletown and other places.

“Heading to visit them for the day isn’t cheap – not when you’ve everything else to pay for. I suppose, this year, we will have to be more selective about our visits,” said Valerie.

Echoing a concern voiced by other local pensioners we spoke with, the 73-year-old said that she is worried about what other cuts might come next.

“It is clear that the government want to save and make money.

“Our big worry now is that when they come up with their next big idea to generate more public revenue, it will be us that lose out again.

“We can’t afford to absorb any more costs this winter.”