A combination of Brexit, the impact of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine are continuing to push prices up – causing yet more hardship for residents in Hammersmith & Fulham that so many local voluntary and community groups are supporting.
All of us are feeling the effects of increasing prices of gas and electricity and the worrying costs of everyday food items. Like many of you – I’m making changes at home – turning down the heating and not having it on for as long as I used to, and nagging my daughter when she leaves all the lights on! Many of our older residents can remember times without central heating, where jumpers, cardigans and woolly socks were a necessity rather than a fashion statement. My parents first had central heating in 1968 – something regarded as the height of luxury (along with wall-to-wall carpeting). My mum can recall, “Before then, we didn’t have radiators or heaters – we had a coal fire in the living room and that was it. All of my life, in autumn and winter it was just a given that we would be cold at night. We had bed socks and hot water bottles to keep us warm, and dressing gowns and slippers were an absolute must in the mornings!”
But when it comes to food costs, we have generations who have become reliant on fast food, ready-meals, cheap carbohydrates and out-of-season fruit and veg – and it’s something of a rude awakening for many to realise that some of our entrenched behaviours might just need to change. Read on
