Nearly 1500 older tenants have signed up for a winter home check as part of GHA’s campaign to help vulnerable tenants beat the freezing temperatures.

The WinterReady campaign, launched by GHA in November, offers tenants who are over 60 or disabled a home check to make sure their house is fully geared up to deal with the worst of the weather.

Hundreds have already had their home check carried out.

Tenants are visited by a plumber who checks the boiler, pipes and taps and bleeds the radiators. They are also shown how to set their heating, turn off the water in an emergency and where to find their stop cock.

Fanchea Kelly, GHA’s Executive Director of Housing and Support Services, said: "We’re delighted so many of our tenants have booked a home check. It’s a great service and could make a real difference to our most vulnerable tenants during the cold weather.

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"We’ve already had snow and ice - and the weather forecast is predicting more to come. I’d urge everyone who is eligible to make an appointment."

Susan Fellerman from Knightswood booked an appointment after receiving a letter from GHA through her door.

Susan, 66, said: "I wanted to be ready for the winter. I was concerned that if the weather got any worse then my pipes or radiators wouldn’t work properly.

"The plumber told me I have nothing to worry about now. He looked at my boiler and heaters. He’s even arranged to get me a bigger handle so I can turn the water off if I have to. I’d recommend the service to everyone who can get it."

Jean McKenzie from Knightswood was one of the first tenants to book an appointment.

She said: "My home check was quick and easy. It was well worth it as I wanted to make sure that the house was ready for the ice and snow. It’s also a free service. The plumber even checked the windows for draughts.

"The men checked everything for me – and it only took 15 minutes. They were really nice."

Milton tenant Martha Knight, 67, said: "I thought the scheme was a good idea. I realised I didn’t know where to find my stop cock or how to use my heating properly.

"The plumbers were helpful. They showed me what to do if I needed to turn off the water. My heating is on most of the time at the moment as it’s so cold. The plumbers showed me a better way to use my heating to keep warm."

(GK)