I can’t sit in my own home, it’s just too cold. I can see the spots of mould now
Struggling OAP finds a warm space at mosque
IT’S a crisp but cold morning and a steady stream of women are arriving, shrugging off winter coats and rustling up cups of tea and coffee.
They’ve come to enjoy some muchneeded warmth and hospitality and to escape their increasingly cold homes in the face of rising food and fuel bills.
Khizra Mosque in Manchester has long been a place of sanctuary for residents of Cheetham Hill. And now it is providing a warm space as well as a hub for food, advice and other pastoral care.
More than 15% of residents here are living in fuel poverty. Many just cannot afford to use their central heating.
As manager Mohammed Ali says: “People have been telling us they can’t pay their bills – all different kinds of people.
“One of the cleaners here told me he just can’t afford the amount they’re asking. We’re trying to help him sort it out but he won’t be able to put the heating on.
“What can we do? We can’t just give people money to solve the problem, but we can give food parcels to try and take the pressure off in other ways.”
Our Warm Hearts campaign is helping fund places such as this that are signed up the Warm Welcome platform, a register of safe spaces across the UK.
Mohammed adds: “The whole community comes here, not just Muslims. The local police, the vicar from the Methodists, the rabbi – he comes in and puts his feet up.”
ARREARS
In the main community room, the radiators are blazing and women of all ages are settling in to knit, play table tennis and prepare food for a shared meal.
Shaida Rahamn, 69, lives close by in social housing and is now in arrears with her fuel bills. As she explains, her pension credit will not stretch any further.
The boiler does not always work at her place but her usual back-up, an electric heater, has become too expensive to run.
“Every day I get up and go out. Go somewhere to stay warm and be comfortable,” she says. “I can’t sit in my own home. It’s just too cold. My home is getting damp, I can see the black spots of mould now. It scares me.
“I know that isn’t good for your health – and I have high blood pressure.
“So I have to stay out all day – for as long as I can or I go to the shopping centre where it’s warm. I only go home when I have to.
“When I do go home, I just get into bed with my hot water bottle.”
Another pensioner, Shamsun Saleenullah, 70, is chopping onions as we talk about how vital it is to have somewhere she and friends can relax in. Today’s session is for women only, with other drop-ins catering to men.
“Here you can see people and be warm, not have to worry about it so much – because everyone is worrying about it,” she says. “My heating bills are going up. I think it’s going to be about £400 for three months.
“I can’t save anything or get ahead. It’s actually impossible.”
Project manager, Syeda Begum, 39, adds: “People come here, they are welcome and it is always busy. But when the session ends I can see that people don’t want to leave, people don’t want to go home and I feel bad saying it’s time to go.”