Almost 200,000 households in Wales cannot afford rising energy bills in this winter, according to the Welsh government.
Now a campaign named #WarmThisWinter has been launched. The campaign is to show people they have the right to keep themselves warm.
People from different parts of Wales assembled at the Welsh Parliament to voice for themselves and find their own ways out.
Nicole Cadman, one of the campaigners, says she is struggling to survive this winter. Even with a decent job and a house of her own, Nicole says she switches her heating gas off most of the time.
“Even myself, as a privileged person, I literally just bought an electric blanket because I’ve worried about putting the heating on…and when my friends come, we are just freezing.” said Nicole.
The plight she is facing for this winter has become a common difficulty for many residents not just in Wales but across the UK.
The #WarmThisWinter petition will be passed on to the Welsh government, pushing them to take urgent action to help especially low-income households survive through this winter.
One of the solutions they would bring forward to the Welsh government is a programme highlighting what the government must do immediately to stop people freezing to death.
It asks the government to give out “warm home packs” to households in need which contain warm curtains, draught excluders, hot water bottles, and hand warmers.
Another problem the campaigners are facing is that some people are not aware of what they are entitled to, especially the elderly and disabled people. So, they call on people who know this action ask friends and neighbours to make sure to claim their needs. They’ve also handed out flyers and posted on every social media to raise more awareness.
“We believe with unlocking those solutions, we can find answers to the cost-of-living crisis and the energy issues,” said one of the campaigners.
