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Let's talk about your rent, rising fuel and food costs

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Consultation has concluded

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Talking about money can be difficult and sometimes feel like a taboo subject, but it doesn’t need to be!

Events over the last few years have meant lots of changes to finances and millions of people are now feeling more worried about money.

That’s why we are here to help customers through what is likely to be a difficult and bleak winter.

We’ve already helped many of our customers so far this year, so if your finances are changing and you think you might need help with food and or energy costs, we are here to talk.

Please email the Support Team with your name, address and best contact number to call you on and let's see how we can help.

Talking about money can be difficult and sometimes feel like a taboo subject, but it doesn’t need to be!

Events over the last few years have meant lots of changes to finances and millions of people are now feeling more worried about money.

That’s why we are here to help customers through what is likely to be a difficult and bleak winter.

We’ve already helped many of our customers so far this year, so if your finances are changing and you think you might need help with food and or energy costs, we are here to talk.

Please email the Support Team with your name, address and best contact number to call you on and let's see how we can help.

Consultation has concluded
  • The North Lynn Food Hub Pop-up is on it's way!

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    The North Lynn Food Hub Pop-up is coming your way!

    Our fabulous Placeshaping Team have been working alongside Imagine Norfolk Together and the Norfolk Community Foundation to bring a fantastic social supermarket to North Lynn, to make a difference in our local community.

    Mark your calendars for the Grand Opening on Wednesday 2nd August! The pop-up will the be open every Wednesday and Friday from 12noon to 2pm at Beacon Church, Losinga Road, North Lynn!

    The supermarket will be offering groceries and essentials at a more affordable cost - up to 50% off regular prices. By becoming a member for just £3 per year, customers will be supporting the Food Hub's operations while enjoying access to these amazing discounts!

    Let's spread the word and make a positive impact in our community!

  • Free Breakfast at Morrisons

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    • 200,000 portions of crumpets accompanied by butter and jam will be given out for free during the summer holidays, in a new initiative called ‘Ask for Ellen’
    • Offer available in all Morrisons Cafés across the United Kingdom from Monday 17th July until Sunday 13th August – while stocks last

    With schools starting to close for the long six weeks of summer, Britain’s largest bakery brand, Warburtons, and Morrisons have launched ‘Ask for Ellen’ to give a little support to families throughout the holidays.

    Everyone and anyone, both adults and children, can ‘Ask for Ellen’ at any Morrisons Café to receive two toasted crumpets, with butter and jam for free – no questions asked. Ask for Ellen will be available all day, in any of Morrisons 398 Cafés across the UK from 17th July to 13th August, while stock lasts.

    New research commissioned by The Warburtons Foundation, surveying 1,000 parents of school-aged children, found that 64% of parents are worried about the increased costs of their child being at home for the summer. Parents think the school holidays will cost them almost £200 extra over the six week holiday due to childcare and family activities and 71% are preparing themselves to buy more snacks than normal to plan for day trips and activities to keep children fed on the go.

    With this collaboration providing free food for all, Warburtons and Morrisons are aiming to alleviate that pressure and support families during the summer holidays, including those who are feeling the absence of free school meals and breakfast clubs. The research also revealed the added financial pressure facing families as schools break up for the summer – when questioned about the typical six-week break, 58 per cent of parents will contend with additional childcare costs as they juggle work and their kids.

    The initiative is named after Warburtons’ founder, Ellen Warburton. The 5th generation family business has been passionate about supporting charities since it was established in 1876 and continues to do so today, through the Warburtons Foundation. In the last year alone the Warburtons Foundation donated over one million products to schools and food banks and has set itself the donation target of 1.25 million products already for this year.

    Chris Strong, Morrisons Cafe Buying Manager, said: “Supporting our customers during the school holidays is incredibly important to us as we know that many families worry about catering for additional meals that are usually covered during the school term time. We are therefore pleased to be partnering with Warburtons this summer and offering our customers two toasted crumpets, with butter and jam when they visit a Morrisons café and Ask for Ellen.”

    Jonathan Warburton, Chairman of Warburtons, commented: “Whilst the summer holidays offer a chance for families to enjoy time together, we know that the reality can be very different for many families. As the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on household budgets we wanted to offer a little to support to families through the holidays. Being able to help families across the country is as important to us today as it was to Ellen Warburtons back in 1876.”

    The Ask for Ellen initiative follows on from the success of the ‘Ask for Henry’ scheme which saw Morrisons partner with Heinz to give away a free jacket potato and beans in its cafés.

    In addition, Morrisons will continue to offer its Kids Eat Free promotion during this time meaning families can access a free kids meal when purchasing an adult meal costing £4.49 or more.

    To get your free crumpets with jam and butter, head down to your nearest Morrisons Café which you can find here: https://my.morrisons.com/storefinder/.


  • Beat Your Bills Roadshow

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    More dates have been added to the borough council’s ‘Beat Your Bills’ roadshows, this time focusing on locations in King’s Lynn.

    The roadshows offer help on all aspects of cost of living, including information about how to access benefits, grants, discounts, save money and more.

    Mark Whitmore, Assistant Director for Health, Wellbeing and Public Protection, said: “The arrival of the warmer months is welcome for many people who are affected by the cost of living but that does not mean their financial difficulties are at an end.

    “We want to reassure our residents that help is available and we want to make sure they know what they are entitled to and how to get it.”

    The remaining roadshows will be held across the borough on the following dates:

    • Feltwell (village fete) – 17th June 10am-5pm
    • King’s Lynn (Discovery Centre) – 23rd June 2023 10am-2pm
    • King’s Lynn (Discovery Centre) – 30th June 2023 10am-2pm
    • King’s Lynn (Centre Point) – 5th July 10am-2pm
    • King’s Lynn (South Lynn Community Centre) – 10th July 10am-2pm
    • Shouldham (village green) – 21st July 9am-4pm
    • South Creake (village hall car park) – 11th August 9am-4pm
    • Grimston (Hudson Fen recreation ground/park) – 25th August 9am-4pm

    At each event there will be staff on hand to answer questions and give information on a range of cost of living subjects, including energy bills, rent problems, general money worries, grants, benefits and advice on how to reduce costs.

    Residents can also look on the borough council’s website for help at www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/costofliving.

  • Customer Broadband Support

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    Who doesn't love a good deal? We’ve come across a great option that promises to give many Freebridge customers a sizeable saving on important services.

    With that in mind, did you know that you could be eligible for cheaper broadband and phone packages?


    Seeing if you’re able to access the cheapest services providers can offer, dubbed the social tariff, is a top tip from us at Freebridge – as it could provide you with a major monthly saving.


    If you’re claiming Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support (some providers might include additional benefits, like Personal Independence Payment and Attendance Allowance, too) then you have access to social tariffs. Although some providers call them ‘essential’ or ‘basic’, these services are delivered in the same way as normal packages, just at a lower price. Ofcom is encouraging companies to offer social tariffs to help support customers on low incomes – and using it could help you in the following ways:


    It’s cheaper than a regular package, with current prices ranging from £10-20 per month

    It offers fast and unlimited broadband, keeping you in touch with family and friends and allowing you to stream media effectively

    There are minimal set-up costs and it would cost you nothing to switch if your provider offers a social tariff

    Prices won’t go up mid-contract and it costs nothing to leave early


    Current providers include BT, EE, SMARTY, Community Fibre, NOW, Sky, Virgin Media, KCOM, Hyperoptic, G Network and VOXI.

    Ofcom also says that it is urging TalkTalk and O2 to introduce social tariffs in the broadband and mobile markets respectively.


    If this sounds like something you could be interested in, you can apply for most tariffs online. Your first port of call should be to check if your current provider offers a social tariff. If they don’t offer one, don’t worry! They could let you switch without a fee.


    It’s also important to understand that the person receiving the benefit needs to be the main person on the contract before you begin this process.


    You can visit the Ofcom page by heading here for more information and if you’d like to switch your broadband provider, you can visit Switching broadband provider - Ofcom for a helpful guide.


    If you are interested in this but require more advice, you can always call us on 0333 240 4444 and we’ll do our best to support you.

  • How we've helped our customers through our support fund

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    Last year your Customer Ambassadors and Service Champions helped the team at Freebridge to design and promote the Freebridge Support Fund.

    They gave us tips on how to word the information to make sure it was clear to everyone as to what the Support Fund was, who was eligible and, more importantly, how they can apply.

    Your Customer Ambassadors and Service Champions also came up with ideas as to where to display the leaflets and even made sure that they dropped some off in places that they felt our customers may visit - just to make sure everyone knew about the Support Fund.

    They basically helped us to 'get out there' with the information. As a result of their feedback and the work undertaken behind the scenes from the Freebridge team, we have been able to help customers with more then £40,000 in support for things such as food and energy bills.

    If you want more information please contact us on 03332 404 444 and ask to speak with the Tenancy Support Team who can assess your situation and find the best ways to help you.

  • Helping you to stay on top of paying your rent

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    Rent is a priority payment. Rent arrears where you live are considered a priority debt. You are at higher risk of eviction if you miss any payments. We have a team of qualified people who are focused on ensuring you have the right support to help you pay your rent or at least keep within the conditions of the tenancy agreement you signed at the start of your tenancy with Freebridge.

    As soon as you recognise that you may have issues to pay your rent call us 03332 404 4444 and press 3 to speak with the Income Team. The sooner the team know the sooner they can offer you the best advice to help ensure that you feel more in control of your situation.

    So what can we do to help you?

    In the first instance the team will have a chat with you to find out more about your situation and will establish why you have been unable to pay the rent. They will assess your situation and will look at putting in an affordable repayment plan. If this is not possible they will look at the wider picture to see if you are eligible for Universal Credit or a discretionary housing payment. Working together with DWP they will be able to ascertain the best way forwards.

    Please do not ignore the letters we send you. We are reaching out to you whilst the situation is manageable. We want to help and have a team ready and waiting for your call.

  • Marks & Spencer's £12.50 clothing items hailed as so warm they 'help save money on heating bills'

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    Marks & Spencer shoppers are raving about the brand's thermals with Heatgen technology that are apparently so warm they can help "save on heating" in the winter. The brand's exclusive Heatgen fabric is designed to retain heat and feel soft against skin, with many shoppers saying it feels like a "second skin", while the Heatgen Plus variety is brushed on the inside for "optimum insulation".

    The Heatgen range includes long sleeve tops (two for £25), vests (£12.50 and £18.00 for mens vests Click here to see more info), leggings (two for £25) Click here to find out more and more. Reviewers claim the Marks & Spencer Heatgen thermals, which are in demand on the website right now, are a "must have" for the winter with some admitting they buy multiple every year.

    Most of the products are available in numerous colour options from basic creams and blacks to more festive sparkly and red. Giving the Heatgen long sleeve top two-pack five stars, one reviewer wrote: "Lovely warm t shirt, great to wear under a shirt, A must have during these cold times and expensive heating costs!"