When a brand new boiler failed to work, there was no easy solution for Doreen and Jake Boon until Age Concern Bristol helped them beat this winter’s biggest chill for 30 years.
Doreen, aged 80, said: “My husband was ill and we were told we’d be left Monday to Friday with no heating. On the day that the boiler stopped working, we’d just come back from hospital and arrived back at five pm on the coldest night of the year. We called one organisation, who had helped us buy the boiler with a grant but they weren’t able to send out an engineer. That night we went to bed after food and a cup of tea at 8pm. A hot shower would have helped but of course that was out of the question.”
“Next morning we were frozen and an engineer still wasn’t available to come out and see us, saying there wasn’t anyone free until Friday. I felt they were messing us about; they’d previously sent out different plumbers who never came at a convenient time and told us they’d had thousands of satisfied customers. We couldn’t wait any longer in those awful temperatures and this was a worry I could do without so I phoned Age Concern Bristol for advice. I had a feeling I could rely on them; I have visited them in the past. They were absolutely marvellous, completely taking over the crisis and even offering to bring out three heaters only an hour later.
Husband Jake who used to work as a heating engineer was sure that he knew what was wrong, but it seemed that his idea wasn’t taken seriously. “I might not have today’s Corgi qualification but I’d put heating in homes for years,” he said. “There was a blockage in the pipework despite the new pipes, maybe due to shoddy workmanship in the skirting. It turned out that air had entered the system causing the pressure to alter. The organisation who did the original work have since offered to reinstall the pipework after we appeared on television. They came next morning and also regulated the heat with new valves.”
Says Doreen, who would like to see a free emergency heating service for the elderly: “With Age Concern Bristol you feel you can trust their services, although not many people know how they can help. I didn’t just get advice, I got far, far more than that.”
Simple Tips To Stay Warm
· Wearing several thin layers of clothes keeps in body heat, as your body’s warmth becomes trapped in air pockets between the layers.
· Wearing fleecy slippers around the house keeps your feet warm. To avoid falls buy a pair with good non-slip soles.
· Ask your gas or electricity supplier about a yearly heating system check. Some suppliers offer a free service if you’re aged over 60.
· Pull on curtains to insulate your windows, as they trap air between the glass and the curtain for extra insulation.