Aug
There have been many protests about the 35% rise in fuel costs recently announced by British Gas.
It is not just the elderly who will suffer this coming winter. Spare a thought for the 10 million people in the UK who suffer from Raynaud’s phenomenon, a condition in which blood is prevented from reaching the extremities on exposure to the cold or any slight change in temperature. Without adequate heat a Raynaud’s attack may occur, in which the fingers and toes turn white, then blue and finally red when the blood flow is restored. This whole process is excruciatingly painful. Without heat there is a risk of developing finger ulcers, gangrene and at worst amputation of their fingers.
So how are these vulnerable people going to cope with their fuel bills? Probably only by heating certain rooms and this in turn can lead to greater problems as a Raynaud’s attack can be triggered by moving from a warm room into an unheated room.
There is no cure for Raynaud’s and treatments are inadequate due to the many side effects, so heat is the only way in which people who have the condition severely can survive. If you have Raynaud’s you need heat all the year round not just in the winter.
Anne Mawdsley MBE, Chief Executive of the Raynaud’s & Scleroderma Association and a sufferer of severe Raynaud’s says: “It is an absolute disgrace that British Gas are permitted to implement such a rise without giving thought to those who have a medical condition for which heat is their only way of alleviating the problem. Even last winter we were getting calls from people asking if there was any way in which they could get an allowance towards their heating bills. I dread to think what the coming winter will be like”.
The Raynaud’s & Scleroderma Association has a new leaflet containing Handy Hints on Keeping Warm and also a leaflet of tried and tested heating aids which are available. These can be obtained by sending an SAE to The RSA, 112 Crewe Road, Alsager, Cheshire ST7 2JA.
Raynaud’s & Scleroderma Association