AHEAD of Fuel Poverty Awareness Day tomorrow (Friday), Northern Gas Networks (NGN) has announced a three-year partnership with end-of-life charity Marie Curie which will help terminally ill people facing rising energy costs.

Higher bills have led to over two-thirds of Brits (69%) feeling more worried about their ability to stay warm and healthy at home this winter.

A YouGov poll found that 75% of people were planning to use less heating this winter.

The partnership will enable Marie Curie to recruit two energy support officers for their information and support line, which aims to provide in-depth information to people on the grants and benefits available to them.

Bespoke training will also be provided to Marie Curie staff so they can identify those struggling to pay their bills.

Matt Williams, Head of Information and Support at Marie Curie, said: “Terminally ill people often have energy bills thousands of pounds higher than the average household due to the medical need to stay warm and power medical equipment.

“Nobody should have to worry about keeping warm especially when they are facing the end of their lives.

“Living in a cold home can be damaging to your health and wellbeing, so we’re so grateful to the gas distribution networks for working with us.”