Iceland is giving away free £30 gift vouchers to the elderly in a bid to support some of the 1.7m pensioners living in poverty across the UK.
The supermarket has partnered with the Rothesay Foundation on the “Summer Cheer” campaign, which will run in 269 stores across 17 areas nationwide.
The qualifying areas have been identified as places with the highest number of pensioners living in poverty. These include Glasgow, Strathclyde, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, Newport, Lambeth and Croydon.
It follows a pilot across nine stores in Lambeth, London, which helped elderly people on low incomes enjoy Christmas.
The initiative will serve approximately 40,000 people and “alleviate some of the pressure caused by the worsening cost-of-living crisis”, the supermarket said.
It is open to people of pension age who live independently or with a carer and rely solely on state pensions and benefits.
To claim the £30 voucher, eligible pensioners should call the Summer Cheer hotline on 0800 098 7877 from 9AM to 5PM, Monday to Friday.
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.
“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 scheme comes after Iceland launched a weekly discount for people over the age of 60 in May, giving them 10 per cent off their shopping every Tuesday. The supermarket said the £30 voucher may be used in conjunction with the discount.
According to research by Age UK, 15 per cent of the UK’s pensioners were living in poverty in the year 2020/2021.
In May, the charity warned that up to two million older households will have “insufficient” income to cover their essential costs this year.
It estimated that households will need to increase the percentage of their income spent on essential goods and services – such as council tax, utility bills, food and drink, care services – from 67 per cent in 2021 to 79 per cent in 2022 due to the higher cost of living.
Along with the vouchers, the campaign will work with Age UK to provide an information guide on financial advice, after data showed that more than 770,000 pensioner households are missing out on Pension Credit payments worth £1.5bn every year.
