Edinburgh families living on the frontline of the cost of living crisis have praised a local charity for supporting them during their time of need.
Low Income Families Together (LIFT), an organisation operating in the North of Edinburgh, appeared on Good Morning Britain last Friday to discuss the situation.
READ MORE - Tesco worker shares jokes customers make at the tills that make her embarrassed
The organisation assists families across North Edinburgh with issues relating to food, household bills, family and counselling.
Based out of Muirhouse, the centre offers support and advocacy services to vulnerable individuals or households, which places them at the frontline of the cost of living crisis.
As a result, Good Morning Britain visited LIFT in order to speak to families and individuals that were bracing themselves for the largest rise in living costs for a generation.
Families across the UK have not only seen their energy prices soar - which have risen by an average of £700 per annum for households - but they are also faced with a rise in National Insurance (NI), council tax, VAT in pubs and restaurants.
Those being pounded from various fronts are therefore struggling to see where they can cut back in order to cope.
But what is most interesting about those using LIFT’s services is that most of the households have at least one person working.
Pauline Bowie, who runs the service, has said that families were already struggling prior to the latest price hikes and that things are about to become desperate.
Two LIFT users, a mother and grandmother to five-week old Hunter, told GMB that they value what the centre offers and are thankful to be able to access a service that offers a bag of baby clothes for just £1.
On this, mother Shannon O'Brien said: “It is a great help, cause obviously with him he grows quite rapidly.
“It is a great help to get clothes from the community and we of course bring them back so they are able to be recycled and reused.”
Families have been contacting LIFT with concerns over their energy bills and are receiving support and advice on the back of this.
Claire Baxter, a family support worker, told GMB news that: “I think worry is too small a word. It is total anxiety and we face a lot of people choosing eating or heating and that is not good enough in 2022.”
Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis agreed with Claire about the scale of the problem.
GMB showed the expert saying that: “For those at the lowest end I'm extremely concerned how they are going to get through this. We are likely to see by the end of October around 10 million move into fuel poverty.”
Ella, who was not using her real name, also spoke with GMB journalist, Juliet Dunlop, about the issues that are concerning her.
She said: “It is really stressful as I get my electricity and gas bill monthly so I do not know what it is going to be. How can I plan what to cut if I do not know what my bills will be?”
