People from across East Hampshire came together to attend a dinner to show cohesion and unity last Saturday.

Held in Alton and organised by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it was to meet with friends old and new. Their message is simply to promote peace, understanding and good will.

Julie Butler caught up with Adeel Shah before the dinner to find out more.

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After the heating allowance controversy, Age Concern Petersfield are encouraging people to apply for pension credits

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) told Shine radio (see below for full quote) that applications are up 115% and recommend people claim online, or be helped by a friend or relative or use the helpline where the caller is guided through the claim process.

Age Concern's local manager, Sheridan Rocher, spoke to Mike Waddington about it. She said people can call her or pop in to Winton House for information.

The DWP said: “To ensure Pension Credit is accessible for all, applications can be made online at GOV.UK, over the phone, or via a paper application form.

“For anyone concerned about the paper application process, we would recommend they either claim online – the service is available 24/7 every day of the year and can be completed with a friend or relative – or by telephone where the caller is guided through the claim process.

“There has been an 115% increase in Pension Credit claims in the last five weeks compared to the five weeks before and we have surged additional staff to respond to applications. We urge anyone who thinks they may be entitled to Pension Credit to check now.”

• On September 2, we launched our Pension Credit Week of Action, joining forces with charities, broadcasters, Local Authorities, and a range of partners to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and apply.
• There has been a 115% increase in Pension Credit claims in the past five weeks compared to the five weeks before.
• We have surged additional staff to cover increasing Pension Credit calls and urge anyone who thinks they may be entitled to Pension Credit to check now.
• By far the most popular way to claim Pension Credit is online, followed by the telephone.
• Approximately eighty percent of all customers use the online claim form.
• The maximum number of questions you need to complete is 48. For some customers it can be as few as 35 questions.
• It is an intuitive system with additional questions dependent on your circumstances such as if claiming with a partner.
• For accessibility purposes we also make available a paper form by its very nature this cannot be intuitive and therefore is longer.
• For anyone concerned about the paper application process, we would recommend they either claim online – the service is available 24/7 every day of the year and can be completed with a friend or relative – or by telephone where the caller is guided through the claim process.
• Apply by phone using the Pension Credit claim line: 0800 99 1234
• More detail on what eligible pensioners could receive with Pension Credit: Pension Credit: What you'll get - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Please find our online Pension Credit calculator here: Pension Credit calculator - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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Clavios Petersfield has opened its doors on a Tuesday morning to a national scheme, Chatty café.

It is a free and open space where people can pop in head to the yellow signs that say Chatty Table.

There is always a member of staff on hand that will sit down and chat and break the ice. The goal is to get people talking and build relationships.

Julie Butler speaks to Manager, Peter McLaughlin to find out more about the scheme

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