NOW it’s October, more and more people are taking the plunge and turning their heating on.
But for those determined not to adjust their thermostats until the very last minute, there’s a £22 Dunelm buy that can really make a difference.
People have been taking to the store’s website to rave about the Chenille Thermal Eyelet Door Curtain, which can be hung over a front or back door to keep draughts out.
“This thermally insulated curtain immediately stopped the cold spots from my hallway,” one person said of the curtain.
“It’s kept the heat in my flat with no extra expense and it has a lovely, soft finish. Wish I’d have done it much sooner!
“A real central heating saver!!”
The curtain comes in five different colours, including cream and grey, and ranges in price from £22.50 to £55 depending on the size.
“Fantastic value all round,” another said.
“Not only do they look great and are easy to clean, they really do keep ALL the draught from the door out, they help to save on the bills.”
As a third commented: “Lovely material, deep colour and more importantly it’s made such a difference to keeping the warm in/cold out.”
“I bought 2 of these door curtains for my front door and they look lovely,” someone else said.
“Good quality, thickness, and colour, and they keep the heat in.”
“This curtain was perfect, fully lined and keeps the draught out,” another agreed.
“Great quality looks more expensive than it was would recommend.”
“The reason we purchased was to help in this cold weather,” someone else wrote.
“It has made such a difference, really kept the chill/cold out, and made it very cosy.”
As an added benefit, the curtains work well all year round, as they can help rooms stay cool when it’s hot outside.
“I have Dunelm thermal curtains on all of my windows and when they are closed, the temperature in the house soon rises,” one said.
THERE'S a number of different ways to get help paying your energy bills if you're struggling to get by.
If you fall into debt, you can always approach your supplier to see if they can put you on a repayment plan before putting you on a prepayment meter.
This involves paying off what you owe in instalments over a set period.
If your supplier offers you a repayment plan you don’t think you can afford, speak to them again to see if you can negotiate a better deal.
Several energy firms have grant schemes available to customers struggling to cover their bills.
But eligibility criteria varies depending on the supplier and the amount you can get depends on your financial circumstances.
For example, British Gas or Scottish Gas customers struggling to pay their energy bills can get grants worth up to £2,000.
British Gas also offers help via its British Gas Energy Trust and Individuals Family Fund.
You don’t need to be a British Gas customer to apply for the second fund.
EDF, E.ON, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power all offer grants to struggling customers too.
Thousands of vulnerable households are missing out on extra help and protections by not signing up to the Priority Services Register (PSR).
The service helps support vulnerable households, such as those who are elderly or ill, and some of the perks include being given advance warning of blackouts, free gas safety checks and extra support if you’re struggling.
Get in touch with your energy firm to see if you can apply.
“Equally when it is very hot weather, if they are closed then the rooms stay lovely and cool.”
“A very smart and calm addition to our hall,” another said.
“Ideal even now (August) to keep the sun out, but bought to help retain heat in the winter.”
The Pretoria High Court in South Africa has sentenced three illegal Zimbabwean nationals, Edison Ngamiko (38), Amos Hassan Masiya (38), and Edron Panashe Chisanako (39), to two life terms each for two counts of murder involving two teenage girls killed last year, a statement by National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana says. The statement […]
The post 3 Zim immigrants in SA sentenced to two life terms each for murder appeared first on Zw News Zimbabwe.
The plan is to now go ahead with a treatment that will give the 65-year-old the chance of finally being cured of the disease.
The post Rock frontman in ‘complete remission’ from incurable blood cancer after drugs trial in Manchester appeared first on The Manc.
WORRIED Paris Saint-Germain fans have identified an area of weakness that Arsenal may look to exploit this evening.
The French champions have travelled to London ahead of their Champions League clash with the Gunners.
Luis Enrique‘s side head to Arsenal having made a productive start to the campaign.
PSG are top of Ligue 1, ahead of Monaco on goal difference, having earned five wins and a draw from their opening six games.
They also got off to a winning start in the Champions League, having beaten Girona 1-0 a fortnight ago courtesy of Paulo Gazzaniga’s late own goal.
Despite being unbeaten so far this campaign, plenty of PSG fans hold concerns ahead of this evening’s big test at Arsenal.
Having watched the Gunners in action, several PSG supporters are worried about set pieces.
One wrote on social media: “I fully expect Arsenal to kick the ball off our players on purpose for corners.
“This is not a game. Every player we have over 6 foot needs to be starting.”
While a second speculated that Enrique could opt to field Fabian Ruiz and Randal Kolo Muani due to their height.
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A further social media user commented: “5-1 for Arsenal including 4 goals from corners.”
And an Arsenal fan added: “PSG have one of the shortest teams in Europe while Arsenal have one of the tallest group of players in Europe.
“We are going to have a meal from corners tomorrow.”
PSG’s commanding 6ft 5in goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has missed their last three games with a thigh injury – but has travelled to London and was seen training at the Emirates last night.
Ousmane Dembele has not made the trip to London, however, after being dropped by Enrique for disciplinary reasons.
Goncalo Ramos, meanwhile, has been missing since undergoing ankle surgery in August.
In their 3-1 win over Rennes at the weekend, PSG started a speedy front three comprised of Dembele, Lee Kang-in and red-hot Bradley Barcola.
With Dembele out, 6ft 2in Kolo Muani could start – which would give the French side more presence at set plays.
Ironically, given fans’ concerns, PSG have not yet conceded a goal from a set-piece this season.
Lille came close in their 3-1 defeat to the champions, but Tiago Santos’ close range finish was disallowed for a narrow offside.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have been deadly from set pieces since coach Nicolas Jover was appointed to Mikel Arteta‘s backroom staff.
They scored their latest goal from a corner on Saturday, their crucial third against Leicester.
While they also claimed goals from a similar route in recent big matches against Manchester City and Tottenham.
ERIK TEN HAG signed a contract extension with Manchester United in July, but could now be due a huge payout if he is sacked.
New minority club chiefs Ineos – headed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe – backed the Dutchman to turn things around after a difficult season beset by a raft injuries.
United registered their lowest-ever position in the Premier League by finishing eighth and came plum last in their Champions League group, with only victory in the FA Cup providing any reason to cheer.
Ten Hag, 54, was handed an extension to his previously existing deal that brings his expiry date up to June 2026.
However, having won just three of their opening eight games in all competitions this season along with some dreadful team performances, the pressure is well and truly mounting.
Despite calls for his head from outside the club, reports suggest that internally bosses are still willing to back the former Ajax manager for the time being.
Ten Hag has pivotal games against Porto in the Europa League and Aston Villa in the league this week, which could ultimately determine his position after the international break.
But according to a report from Goal, it will cost United £17.5million to give Ten Hag the boot.
This is thought to be £7.5m more than the £10m it would have cost to part ways in June.
It is also around half the value of the money saved by the club after making 250 members of staff redundant earlier this year.
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Ten Hag himself has said he is not worried about his future, saying: “No, I’m not thinking about this.
“We all made this decision to stay together, as an ownership, as a leadership group in the summer.
“Also we made the decision from a clear review what we have to improve as an organisation, but we knew it will take some time.
“We are all on one page, or in one boat, together – the ownership, the leadership group, the staff and the players as well. I don’t have that concern.
SunSport's DAVE KIDD says Erik ten Hag's time at Man Utd is up… and explains what's wrong with all the potential candidates to replace him.
THIS is a mid-table squad at an underachieving club, with a lot of unwanted players on big money.
And Ratcliffe is an instinctive cost-cutter who may not pay top dollar to the next manager.
If this club wasn’t called ‘Manchester United’, it wouldn’t be an especially desirable job.
The good news for United is that their new sporting director, Dan Ashworth, is a very decent judge of a manager.
He has been instrumental in three previous managerial appointments — Gareth Southgate for England, Graham Potter for Brighton and Eddie Howe for Newcastle.
None were wildly popular at the time, all were conspicuous successes.
Interestingly, Ashworth’s No 1 choice for the Newcastle job was Unai Emery, who turned him down to stay at Villarreal but has since proved that judgment right by excelling at Aston Villa.
Emery may well deliver the coup de grace to Ten Hag on Sunday — especially with Bruno Fernandes suspended and Kobbie Mainoo an injury doubt.
And the Spaniard would be an excellent fit for United — yet there is next to no chance that he would abandon Villa’s Champions League campaign to take the Old Trafford job, not least because he isn’t a stark raving madman.
Howe would be another good candidate to succeed Ten Hag but, although he has become frustrated on Tyneside, the Saudis would surely not allow Ratcliffe to poach Howe, as they reluctantly did with Ashworth.
Potter is available but his Chelsea experience and lack of charisma would make him a tough sell.
Which brings us to Southgate, who remains close with Ashworth and is an excellent man-manager who was seriously considered by United last spring.
Yet, despite having led England to two of their three major finals, Southgate’s reputation for over-caution was only enhanced during the Euros.
Mauricio Pochettino, passed over twice by United, is out of the equation having taken the United States job.
Thomas Tuchel would be a popular and gettable option but, despite being a fine coach and a very engaging man, he is considered something of a loose cannon.
Likewise, Roberto De Zerbi, now at Marseille after his brief Brighton stint sparkled then fizzled out.
Kieran McKenna — a gifted former United coach who has won back-to-back promotions with Ipswich Town — is an intriguing candidate but the imminent vacancy may come a year or so too soon.
Marco Silva, the extremely under-rated Fulham boss, has been on United’s radar and should not be discounted.
Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Amorim, last season’s ‘next big thing’, was passed over by West Ham as well as Liverpool this summer and is not an easy man to pin down.
Zinedine Zidane, who has taken over from Alan Curbishley as a 20-1 shot for every Premier League job, is a ‘figurehead’ manager and not an Ashworth type.
Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former United goal machine who joined Ten Hag’s coaching team in the summer is the bookies’ favourite. Simply because he’s in the building and he’s Dutch.
So, yes, getting rid of Ten Hag is the easy part.
“Of course, there is always a new game, it will be a new day. We will bounce back.”
A lack of viable options in the managerial market was cited as one of the reasons behind the club sticking with Ten Hag.
However, talk of his potential replacement – such as former Chelsea boss Graham Potter, ex-England boss Gareth Southgate or assistant manager Ruud van Nistelrooy – have grown in recent weeks.
