London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jan 28, 2026

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
Wall Street Bets on Strong US Growth and Currency Moves as Dollar Slips After Trump Comments
UK Prime Minister Traveled to China Using Temporary Phones and Laptops to Limit Espionage Risks
Google’s $68 Million Voice Assistant Settlement Exposes Incentives That Reward Over-Collection
Kim Kardashian Admits Faking Paparazzi Visit to Britney Spears for Fame in Early 2000s
UPS to Cut 30,000 More Jobs by 2026 Amid Shift to High-Margin Deliveries
France Plans to Replace Teams and Zoom Across Government With Homegrown Visio by 2027
Trump Removes Minneapolis Deportation Operation Commander After Fatal Shooting of Protester
Iran’s Elite Wealth Abroad and Sanctions Leakage: How Offshore Luxury Sustains Regime Resilience
U.S. Central Command Announces Regional Air Exercise as Iran Unveils Drone Carrier Footage
Four Arrested in Andhra Pradesh Over Alleged HIV-Contaminated Injection Attack on Doctor
Hot Drinks, Hidden Particles: How Disposable Cups Quietly Increase Microplastic Exposure
UK Banks Pledge £11 Billion Lending Package to Help Firms Expand Overseas
Suella Braverman Defects to Reform UK, Accusing Conservatives of Betrayal on Core Policies
Melania Trump Documentary Sees Limited Box Office Traction in UK Cinemas
Meta and EssilorLuxottica Ray-Ban Smart Glasses and the Non-Consensual Public Recording Economy
WhatsApp Develops New Meta AI Features to Enhance User Control
Germany Considers Gold Reserves Amidst Rising Tensions with the U.S.
Michael Schumacher Shows Significant Improvement in Health Status
Greenland’s NATO Stress Test: Coercion, Credibility, and the New Arctic Bargaining Game
Diego Garcia and the Chagos Dispute: When Decolonization Collides With Alliance Power
Trump Claims “Total” U.S. Access to Greenland as NATO Weighs Arctic Basing Rights and Deterrence
Air France and KLM Suspend Multiple Middle East Routes as Regional Tensions Disrupt Aviation
U.S. winter storm triggers 13,000-plus flight cancellations and 160,000 power outages
Poland delays euro adoption as Domański cites $1tn economy and zloty advantage
White House: Trump warns Canada of 100% tariff if Carney finalizes China trade deal
PLA opens CMC probe of Zhang Youxia, Liu Zhenli over Xi authority and discipline violations
ICE and DHS immigration raids in Minneapolis: the use-of-force accountability crisis in mass deportation enforcement
UK’s Starmer and Trump Agree on Urgent Need to Bolster Arctic Security
Starmer Breaks Diplomatic Restraint With Firm Rebuke of Trump, Seizing Chance to Advocate for Europe
UK Finance Minister Reeves to Join Starmer on China Visit to Bolster Trade and Economic Ties
Prince Harry Says Sacrifices of NATO Forces in Afghanistan Deserve ‘Respect’ After Trump Remarks
Barron Trump Emerges as Key Remote Witness in UK Assault and Rape Trial
Nigel Farage Attended Davos 2026 Using HP Trust Delegate Pass Linked to Sasan Ghandehari
Gold Jumps More Than 8% in a Week as the Dollar Slides Amid Greenland Tariff Dispute
BlackRock Executive Rick Rieder Emerges as Leading Contender to Succeed Jerome Powell as Fed Chair
Boston Dynamics Atlas humanoid robot and LG CLOiD home robot: the platform lock-in fight to control Physical AI
United States under President Donald Trump completes withdrawal from the World Health Organization: health sovereignty versus global outbreak early-warning access
FBI and U.S. prosecutors vs Ryan Wedding’s transnational cocaine-smuggling network: the fight over witness-killing and cross-border enforcement
Trump Administration’s Iran Military Buildup and Sanctions Campaign Puts Deterrence Credibility on the Line
Apple and OpenAI Chase Screenless AI Wearables as the Post-iPhone Interface Battle Heats Up
Tech Brief: AI Compute, Chips, and Platform Power Moves Driving Today’s Market Narrative
NATO’s Stress Test Under Trump: Alliance Credibility, Burden-Sharing, and the Fight Over Strategic Territory
OpenAI’s Money Problem: Explosive Growth, Even Faster Costs, and a Race to Stay Ahead
Trump Reverses Course and Criticises UK-Mauritius Chagos Islands Agreement
Elizabeth Hurley Tells UK Court of ‘Brutal’ Invasion of Privacy in Phone Hacking Case
UK Bond Yields Climb as Report Fuels Speculation Over Andy Burnham’s Return to Parliament
America’s Venezuela Oil Grip Meets China’s Demand: Market Power, Legal Shockwaves, and the New Rules of Energy Leverage
TikTok’s U.S. Escape Plan: National Security Firewall or Political Theater With a Price Tag?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
Trump’s Board of Peace: Breakthrough Diplomacy or a Hostile Takeover of Global Order?
×