A council tenant all his life, he privately rented a small bungalow near Newton Abbot, where he could just about afford to live comfortably alone after the death of his partner.
When his rent was raised sharply twice, however, it reached ÂŁ1,100 a month - more than his entire state pension. He was left with ÂŁ200 a month from his private pension to cover food, clothing and everything else. The removal this year of his winter fuel payment has tipped a challenging existence into a thoroughly dispiriting one.
"It sounds a bit sad, and it probably is - but it's like the joy went out of my life," said 68-year-old Anderson. "I used to enjoy going to the pub, having a few drinks. I used to take my mother out for a coffee and a scone in the local department store once a week. I can't do any of those things now. It's just a question of feeding yourself and keeping yourself warm in the best way that you can."
Denne historien er fra December 24, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Denne historien er fra December 24, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prÞveperiode pÄ Magzter GOLD for Ä fÄ tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Stokes faces three months out but vows to fight back
Ben Stokes said he was prepared to go through \"blood, sweat and tears\" for England after it was announced he will undergo surgery in January and is out of action for at least three months with a torn hamstring.
'Huge blow' Saka's hamstring tear leaves Arsenal scrambling for options
Mikel Arteta has said he and Arsenal must find a way to cope without Bukayo Saka after confirming the England forward is set to be sidelined for \"many weeks\" due to the hamstring injury he sustained against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
'We have to change for the better': Kulusevski on what's next for Spurs
Forward says his side need to evolve after Sunday's painful defeat to leaders Liverpool
Juric vows 'death metal football' style for Saints
Southampton's new manager, Ivan Juric, says he plans to implement an aggressive style of play similar to death metal, his favourite genre of music.
Liverpool's lead at the top is due to much more than good luck
They may have faced some teams at the right time but Slot has improved players to the extent it is their title to lose
Amorim given free rein over Rashford call
Ruben Amorim's exclusion of Marcus Rashford from Manchester United's past three match-day squads is solely his decision, with the head coach under no pressure from Sir Jim Ratcliffe's football department.
'We do what the police cannot': Fanprojekte face battle to survive
A German court case threatens the existence of projects that play a crucial social-work role with football fans
'It's opened my mind': inside the FA's all-female coaching course
WSL stars past and present have signed up to an A licence course that aims to boost the number of female coaches
Clayton edges past Mansell in sudden-death thriller
Jonny Clayton won a sudden-death leg in the deciding set to edge past Mickey Mansell and book his place in the third round of the PDC world championship after an epic contest at Alexandra Palace.
Fury ceased clowning to push Usyk to his limits but this special champion always finds a new gear
Once upon a time, the world stopped to watch when the heavyweight championship was at stake. Oleksandr Usyk's unanimous-decision triumph over Tyson Fury in Riyadh on Saturday was barely noticed.
