For millions of people in the UK, the cost-of-living crisis is putting them through a nightmare they never thought they’d experience.

As food costs rise at an alarming rate and energy bills are sky high, families are struggling to make ends meet.

Those struggling the most are having to choose whether to eat or heat their homes - many can’t afford to do either.

York Citizens Advice trained staff and volunteers are working flat out to help people. We are giving out, on average, £600 of food vouchers per day with fuel vouchers on top of this.

The Queen’s death and the period of national mourning, laying flowers down at Royal residences, the lying in State and the funeral brought up feelings for people - allowing us to explore feelings of grief that may have previously gone unnoticed.

Even if people didn’t personally feel grief for the loss of the Queen, everyone was suddenly part of an experience of collective grief; we saw big brands pay tribute, events were cancelled as a mark of respect, shops were shut and complicated feelings towards the Royals weren’t easy to express.

The nation is also still feeling the effects of lockdowns and the daily Covid death totals on daily Government briefings.

Add to this the news over the economy and the Bank of England stepping in to ‘protect pension funds’. Then there is the threat of a crash in the housing market with mortgages becoming difficult to get or more expensive (the obvious knock-on effect of this will be that private rents will rise) .

Given all this it is easy to see why the country is suffering a collective gloom bordering on panic and this shouldn’t be a surprise to us. Times are dark.

We are experiencing unwelcome, record-breaking demand for our services as people grapple with their lives and the issues facing them.

Charities such as Citizens Advice are on the very frontline of this crisis, and we need continued support to help us be there for the people who turn to us. Some of whom have nowhere else to turn. We are finding we are being called on to be counsellors as well as advisors.

So, what can you do to help both yourself and others? We know, through long experience and training, that doing nothing makes people feel worse about their situation.

Doing something provides a feeling of having options and being more in control.

We have opened a new service to provide money coaching. The service provides immediate relief such as food, baby formula and fuel vouchers, short term relief, such as help to apply for grants and benefits which people should be claiming and long-term relief in the form of budgeting advice and follow up support.

The dedicated team can also refer people into the debt team to get professional help to write off debts or to manage them better. Clients we have helped have described our service as “brilliant” and “a life saver”. The coaching is over a longer period and your coach will help you to ensure that any changes suggested are helping your situation.

You could have a think about volunteering with us and help others, this also provides the social benefit of being part of a team and knowing that you are making a difference to other people’s lives. Although this is quite challenging at the moment the feeling that you have helped even one person is guaranteed to raise your spirits. You don’t need experience as full training will be given. You can apply on our website

People are often surprised that we are a charity and need funding, but it is only down to the generosity of the public that we can keep working to improve lives in and around York.

If you can’t give time, and if you can possibly afford even the smallest donation it will be put to good use.

We are about to launch a scheme to provide free blankets to help people keep warm in their own homes. A blanket costs us £3.50 but could help to save a life. We are also going to start to provide vouchers for baby formula, it costs around £1.50 per day to feed a 3 month old baby on powdered formula.

This obviously improves baby’s health but also parent’s mental health if they have been struggling to afford this. Knowing you have helped will help you too!

If you are interested in getting help from us or helping us help others with either time or money you can find all the information you need here - citizensadviceyork.org.uk/