London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Nov 25, 2025

Cost of living: Man gives £10,000 to charity after seeing woman’s story on the BBC

Cost of living: Man gives £10,000 to charity after seeing woman’s story on the BBC

Anne Vivian-Smith used to be well and work full time. She and her partner were earning good money and able to afford their own home and car.

But several years ago, Anne started to get ill with a neurodegenerative autoimmune disorder. Within two years, she ended up in a wheelchair and her partner became her carer. They both lost their careers.

The couple went from earning £40,000 each a year to £20,000 and receiving disability benefits.

Two weeks ago, we told her story as part of our cost-of-living coverage. And now, one reader has donated £10,000 to an energy charity to help Anne and others struggling with bills. Here's their story.


Equipment, costs and obsessive worry


Anne uses ceiling-track hoists, a powered wheelchair and a motorised door. They all require charging and use up a lot of energy. So with energy prices rising, Anne's bills have gone from £84 a month to £259.

Her energy usage can never go down to the same level that a non-disabled person's can because her machines are vital. "I can't switch them off, not like other people," she said.

But cuts have to be made, so Anne and her partner are no longer able to put the heating on. "Every day I'm cold, every day I'm stuck in a damp house. Every day I worry about putting the kettle on," she said.

"Everything is so expensive. My smart meter is a blessing and curse because I become obsessed with it. Every time I turn the shower on it's £3.18."

John felt inspired when he saw Anne's story on the BBC


When John Pluck saw Anne sharing her story he felt compelled to help her.

"Anne's bravery to tell her story started all of this off. Her situation really opened my eyes, she said she had to decide whether she could use her wheelchair or eat.

"I haven't seen something that's moved me like that for years, so I contacted the BBC straight away. I wanted to look after her energy bills for the next year."


'I need money - but not as much as others'


However, when Anne was offered John's donation, she refused it. Anne explained to me that despite her situation, other people are in much worse positions.

"I've done some volunteer work at food banks and homeless projects. I've met people, where the most they've eaten in a fortnight is half a Danish and a cup of tea.

"It makes me look at my life. Despite it being difficult, I have a roof over my head and food in my fridge. I know very well how much pain other people are going through and so I wanted to help others."

Reflecting on Anne's viewpoint, John said: "I think it says everything about the person she is. She is in such a difficult spot but she's adamant that I look after other people. She puts other people first - it says what a selfless person she is."

Anne asked John to donate the money he wanted to give to her to National Energy Action, a fuel poverty charity, instead. It aims to eradicate fuel poverty and pushes for better investment in energy efficiency to help those who are poor or vulnerable.

John, who is a divisional director at an international insurance broker, donated £10,000 plus £2,500 in Gift Aid, and says he wants to donate at least £5,000 a year to the charity.

Adam Scorer, chief executive at the charity said: "We are hugely grateful to John for such a generous donation. The average annual energy bill has more than doubled in a year and 6.7 million people like Anne are in fuel poverty.

"With the support of people like John, people can keep their homes comfortably warm and safe."

Anne told me how pleased she was that telling her story had made an impact.

"Nobody can stop me grinning because it's amazing and I can't express my gratitude to John.

"It's awesome and hopefully it will go on to help people in very difficult positions."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
UK Government Launches Consultation on Major Overhaul of Settlement Rules
Google Struggles to Meet AI Demand as Infrastructure, Energy and Supply-Chain Gaps Deepen
Car Parts Leader Warns Europe Faces Heavy Job Losses in ‘Darwinian’ Auto Shake-Out
Arsenal Move Six Points Clear After Eze’s Historic Hat-Trick in Derby Rout
Wealthy New Yorkers Weigh Second Homes as the ‘Mamdani Effect’ Ripples Through Luxury Markets
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
UK Unveils Critical-Minerals Strategy to Break China Supply-Chain Grip
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” Extends U.K. No. 1 Run to Five Weeks
UK VPN Sign-Ups Surge by Over 1,400 % as Age-Verification Law Takes Effect
Former MEP Nathan Gill Jailed for Over Ten Years After Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
Majority of UK Entrepreneurs Regard Government as ‘Anti-Business’, Survey Shows
UK’s Starmer and US President Trump Align as Geneva Talks Probe Ukraine Peace Plan
UK Prime Minister Signals Former Prince Andrew Should Testify to US Epstein Inquiry
Royal Navy Deploys HMS Severn to Shadow Russian Corvette and Tanker Off UK Coast
China’s Wedding Boom: Nightclubs, Mountains and a Demographic Reset
Fugees Founding Member Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years in High-Profile US Foreign Influence Case
WhatsApp’s Unexpected Rise Reshapes American Messaging Habits
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
Johnson Blasts ‘Incoherent’ Covid Inquiry Findings Amid Report’s Harsh Critique of His Government
Lord Rothermere Secures £500 Million Deal to Acquire Telegraph Titles
Maduro Tightens Security Measures as U.S. Strike Threat Intensifies
U.S. Envoys Deliver Ultimatum to Ukraine: Sign Peace Deal by Thursday or Risk Losing American Support
Zelenskyy Signals Progress Toward Ending the War: ‘One of the Hardest Moments in History’ (end of his business model?)
U.S. Issues Alert Declaring Venezuelan Airspace a Hazard Due to Escalating Security Conditions
The U.S. State Department Announces That Mass Migration Constitutes an Existential Threat to Western Civilization and Undermines the Stability of Key American Allies
Students Challenge AI-Driven Teaching at University of Staffordshire
Pikeville Medical Center Partners with UK’s Golisano Children’s Network to Expand Pediatric Care
Germany, France and UK Confirm Full Support for Ukraine in US-Backed Security Plan
UK Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods Face Rising Backlash as Pandemic Schemes Unravel
UK Records Coldest Night of Autumn as Sub-Zero Conditions Sweep the Country
UK at Risk of Losing International Doctors as Workforce Exodus Grows, Regulator Warns
ASU Launches ASU London, Extending Its Innovation Brand to the UK Education Market
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to Visit China in January as Diplomatic Reset Accelerates
Google Launches Voluntary Buyouts for UK Staff Amid AI-Driven Company Realignment
UK braces for freezing snap as snow and ice warnings escalate
Majority of UK Novelists Fear AI Could Displace Their Work, Cambridge Study Finds
UK's Carrier Strike Group Achieves Full Operational Capability During NATO Drill in Mediterranean
Trump and Mamdani to Meet at the White House: “The Communist Asked”
Nvidia Again Beats Forecasts, Shares Jump in After-Hours Trading
Wintry Conditions Persist Along UK Coasts After Up to Seven Centimetres of Snow
UK Inflation Eases to 3.6 % in October, Opening Door for Rate Cut
UK Accelerates Munitions Factory Build-Out to Reinforce Warfighting Readiness
UK Consumer Optimism Plunges Ahead of November Budget
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
×