North Wales pensioners in need to receive £30 Iceland voucher

Iceland, the foodstore which has headquarters in Deeside, has expanded its partnership with the Rothesay Foundation to support some of the 1.7 million pensioners who live in poverty in the UK and rely on the state pension and benefits for their income.

The 'Summer Cheer' campaign will run for seven weeks from August 1 until September 16, providing eligible pensioners with a £30 Iceland gift voucher to spend in one of 17 areas nationwide, encompassing 269 Iceland stores.

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North Wales has been identified as a place where there are some of the highest numbers of pensioners living in material deprivation in the country.

The vouchers are accepted in Flintshire at Mold and Buckley stores and in Wrexham at the Gwersyllt store. 

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."

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The MD who lives in the North-West with his wife and children added: "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 partnership was initially launched following research by Age UK which shows that 1.7 million pensioners were living in poverty in 2020/21, which is 15% of all pensioners.

Over 770,000 pensioner households (single people or couples) are also missing out on Pension Credit payments, worth around £1.5 billion every year.

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Pension Credit not only gives older people extra cash, but once claimed it can also unlock other financial help towards the cost of living such as a free TV licence, free NHS dental treatment and help towards energy costs through the Warm Home Discount, if eligible.

In May, Iceland launched a weekly over 60’s discount across all their stores, that provides customers with 10% discount every Tuesday, when ID is shown.

As part of this Summer Cheer campaign, copies of Age UK’s information guide on financial advice to help older people and their carers will be sent to eligible pensioners along with their voucher.

If you qualify for a £30 voucher with the Rothesay Foundation, the over 60’s discount can also be used in conjunction with this, to help make your money go further.

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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”.

Eligible pensioners should call the Summer Cheer hotline on 0800 098 7877 to request their voucher.

The telephone line will be open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

The voucher excludes alcohol.