With the spiralling cost of fuel bills more and more people are finding it harder to find the money to heat their homes.

This can prove especially problematic for older people – it is believed that 31,000 deaths were attributed to the cold weather in last year’s harsh winter, many of them elderly.

No-one should have to make a stark choice between heating or eating in this day and age, but sometimes that is what it comes down to for people living on or close to the breadline.

However, there is help available to help older people pay their bills and stay warm throughout the cold winter months – the problem is, not everyone who is entitled to the relevant pension benefits and credits is claiming them.

It might be that many people don’t know just what they are entitled to, and others who are used to working for a living do not want to claim benefits.

But very little is given away these days, so the fact that these benefits are available should signal to all who are entitled to them that they should be claimed.

All those who have reached pensionable age have earned their right to as comfortable, safe and healthy retirement as they can get, and if there is a pot of Government money available to make that happen then everything should be done to make sure it goes in the right pockets.

Age UK in Bradford has been working hard to ensure that people are fully aware of their rights and entitlements. Claiming what is rightfully theirs might be the difference between life and death for some older people this winter.