Asda Newark announces ‘winter warmer’ initiatives to support customers and community groups struggling with cost-of-living crisis

A supermarket is offering those aged 60 and over £1 meals to help combat the cost-of-living crisis.

Throughout November and December, Asda is giving over 60s the chance to enjoy soup, a roll and unlimited tea and coffees for just £1 in any of its 205 cafes across England and Wales.

The supermarket chain say they stepped up to support older customers as they continued to be disproportionately affected by spiralling living costs.

The supermarket’s latest income tracker shows those aged 65 to 74 experienced a £163 drop in disposable income in August, compared to last year, as rising inflation continues to outstrip pension and savings growth.

This research aligns with findings from Age UK who estimate that £2.8m older households will still be living in fuel poverty this winter despite the government freezing the energy price cap.

The over 60s deal follows the successful launch of the £1 children's deal earlier this year with more than 557,000 meals served nationally since late June.

Children aged 16 and under across England and Wales can access a hot or cold meal for just £1 at any time, seven days a week, in Asda Cafés, with no minimum adult spend required.

Available all day until December 31, the scheme was launched to help tackle hunger at a time when cost-of-living is higher than ever.

Free pouches of Ella’s Kitchen baby food are also available as part of the initiative.

Asda Newark's community champion, Sinead Hinch, said “We know that this winter is set to be incredibly hard for thousands of pensioners as they worry about how to keep themselves warm in the face of rising living costs and a fixed income.

"We’ve already been able to serve over half a million meals through our Kids Eat for £1 initiative in our cafes and we’re hoping our new offer of soup and hot drinks for over 60s will prove just as impactful for those who need it most."

In addition to their targeted support, Asda’s charity the Asda Foundation is providing £500,000 worth of funding to support community groups.

Individual grants of up to £2,000 are available, with priority given to groups and charities that need financial help to cover increased energy costs or who want to use their facilities to create ‘warm banks’ — spaces where people can keep warm this winter if they can’t afford to always heat their homes.

The supermarket is also running a ‘Community Cuppa’ campaign in its cafes, allowing community groups to book spaces throughout November and December from 2pm to 6pm in order to hold meetings, with unlimited free tea or coffee available.

Groups interested in finding out more or booking a space should contact Sinead Hinch by email, on: community_newark@asda.co.uk