Margaret, 75, has always thought of herself as a practical and independent person.

Nowadays, Margaret lives in Northumberland with her two dogs and cat, and regularly sees her son, daughter and granddaughter, who all live nearby.

But for decades of her life, Margaret had to adapt and persevere through challenging circumstances. Margaret was married to an army man, and so the family regularly moved around – including a spell in Germany. “I’ve always been resilient, because I was left on my own so much,” she reveals. “So, I’m quite a logical thinker, and I do all my own DIY… I do everything.”

Margaret also worked all her life, except for the few years she was at home to look after the children when they were very young.

Empathy for older people

Even when Margaret retired, she remained busy by volunteering at a lunch club run by a local Age UK group in Northumberland. “I loved it,” she says. “I lived with my gran until I got married, so I love older people. I always have.

“As part of my volunteering, I used to go and dish the dinner up for them, and play bingo and dominoes. I always say you should listen to older people because the things they can teach you are amazing. I think these days a lot of people think the world started when they were born. They don't think we've got a past, and it's a shame.”

Struggling on a single pension

Things changed for Margaret in 2023. When her husband died, she lost his pension and started really struggling for money. She recalls: “I couldn't afford to pay people, and I had to ring them – my landlord included – to let them know. They let me pay what I could until I got back on my feet. But I used to worry about that. Luckily, I have a good landlord, otherwise I probably would have been evicted.”

Due to her low income, Margaret ended up cutting back on heating and eating less. On top of this, she found that she was priced out of her favourite things to do. “I like to knit but I couldn't afford to buy the wool,” she explains. “I love reading, but books were out of the question. Or going for a ride out, to have fish and chips – I couldn't do it.”

The Advice Line lifeline

At one point one of Margaret’s nieces, who is a social worker, told her to get in touch with Age UK. “So, I rang the Advice Line, and the woman I spoke to was brilliant. She was lovely, and really helpful.”

Age UK’s adviser identified several benefits that Margaret might be entitled to, including Attendance Allowance, due to the arthritis in her knee and her osteoporosis. Margaret explains: “Even though I didn't know whether I would get the Attendance Allowance or not, it still made you feel better that somebody was there telling you what help you could get. Because obviously if I couldn't get that one, then I would have rung them back and asked if there was anything else that could have been done.”

Margaret’s daughter helped her fill in the Attendance Allowance form, and she was awarded it just a few weeks after submitting her application. Following this, Margaret successfully applied for Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax support too. The extra money has made the world of difference to her. “Now, my bills are getting paid, which is the main thing. And I’m able to afford some stuff that helps me enjoy life again. Without Age UK, with the price of things now, it would have been ten times worse.”

Good for the Seoul

With her peace of mind restored, Margaret’s enjoying engaging in her favourite activities again – which, alongside knitting and reading, include a more unusual hobby for her age group.

“I follow a boy band called BTS from South Korea,” she reveals. “My granddaughter got me into them a few years ago and I'm totally obsessed with them. They will be going on tour in 2026. Tickets are really expensive and will sell out in seconds, so I won’t be able to go, but me, my daughter and my granddaughter will go down to Wembley when they are playing to soak up the atmosphere.”