Mary has worked full-time for the NHS for 21 years. She earns £14K per year as a ward housekeeper. In the last four years, inflation means she is almost £2K worse off and will lose another £400 this year. Mary says, “Fuel and food is a worry. My husband retired 14 years ago and has bad health, so I worry about the heating bills to keep him warm. We have 18 months to run on the mortgage. It’s eight years since we had a holiday. Things break, they need repair.”