Signs Of a Rainbow

03/06/2026

PENSION CREDIT SUCCESS

£millions is left unclaimed by older people who think they would not be entitled.

A client thought just that - he owns his own house, he has savings over £16,000.

However, because he also claims PIP due to his disabilities, his "applicable amount", ie the amount of income he can earn before he reaches the threshold, rises quite considerably.

He received his award letter, stating that he is entitled to £32.00 a week in Guaranteed Pension Credit, and he will also be entitled to help, such as free dental care, free TV licence (as he is over 75) and other benefits.

Definitely worth checking if you are entitled!!!

31/05/2026

Tomorrow is 1st June ... and S.O.A R. will be taking to the airwaves of Liverpool Community Radio (96.7 fm) from 1 - 2 pm.

We will be taking a look at the latest Energy Price Cap and what you can do to soften the blow of high energy bills.

27/05/2026

ANOTHER PIP SUCCESS FOR S.O.A.R.

We were asked by a client to help with their child's first PIP claim, on reaching the age of 16.

They had been receiving DLA for a number of years, but PIP is completely different, and the form is very daunting.

We helped our client with the form, and also the questions which would be asked in the assessment.

The DWP decision was to award both Enhanced Daily Living and Motability. (worth £795 a month) which will help with the additional needs of this neurodiverse young person.

Our client's family are all delighted with this decision

17/04/2026

The topic for this month's slot on Liverpool Community Radio was Travel.

We covered:

Why you should always take out travel insurance when you book your holidays.

Make sure your GHIC card is in date if you are travelling in Europe.

Be prepared for long delays at passport control as the new biometric/face recognition systems are now live at all airports. It is advised that you get to the airport 5 hours before your flight.

Be prepared to pay more for your holiday, whether it is in aircraft fuel, or petrol if you are driving around Britain.

Have photos of your passport and insurance documents on your phone, in case you lose them

In most of Europe there is a Tourist Tax payable to your accommodation.

Remember to check with your phone provider the cost of roaming charges, especially if you use the Internet a lot.

Always pack medication in your hand luggage, and take a copy of your prescription with you if you are on prescribed medication.

Happy holidays 😎

01/04/2026

ENERGY PRICE CAP GOES DOWN FROM TODAY

Reminder for anyone who has a non-smart prepay electricity meter. 📢

Your meter only switches to the new cheaper rate when it's topped up. So make sure you top it up ASAP - even if only by the minimum amount - to trigger the lower rate and pay less!

All people who arevon credit meters should take meter readings and submit them to their energy provider so they will benefit from the cheaper rates.

24/03/2026

TOP SCHOOLS DENY PLACES TO SEND STUDENTS

The article below confirms why SEND students are being denied school places because of their additional needs

Around two in five school leaders say they believe some schools in their area actively discourage applications from Send pupils

20/03/2026

Just finished the third of our training sessions this week on the topics of SEND provision and welfare benefits updates to parents of children with neurological conditions.

This week we have been out and about to centres in St Helens, Huyton. Prescot and Birkenhead.

We have also received notification from two clients that their PIP award remains the same after we helped them with their PIP Review Forms.

All in all, a busy and productive week.

28/02/2026

LFC HELPS TO INTEGRATE THEIR D/DEAF SUPPORTERS.

Today, before the match against West Ham, Liverpool players and fans will sing and SIGN their anthem - "You'll Never Walk Alone" so that the Deaf supporters can feel included in the singing for their team. The signs used have been verified by Deaf Liverpool supporters, and the whole initiative is being supported by the British Deaf Association.

Let's hope other Premier League clubs follow suit.

Carlsberg's Signs of Unity campaign aims to teach every Liverpool fan to sign and sing before kick-off on Saturday

27/02/2026

ANOTHER BUSY WEEK!

Monday saw us help a profoundly Deaf client who had been sent a PIP renewal - obviously the DWP were hoping their hearing had returned.

On Tuesday we delivered a training session for parents of neurodiverse children on how the Government's proposed SEND plans would affect them

In the afternoon we represented a client with a PIP tribunal via the Internet. The young claimant was awarded Enhanced rate for both Daily Living and Mobility and it was backdated till 2024.

On Wednesday we were at Evolving Mindset in Prescot where we completed a Pension Credit application, gave advice on a Mandatory Reconsideration and helped a service users with their budgeting issues. From there we did a home visit for a change of circumstances for a young girl on DLA.

Thursday saw us in Birkenhead, where we are helping people who have been referred to us from Citizens Advice.

To finish the week, we received confirmation that a client who we represented at Tribunal recently was due £7500 in a backdated PIP award, and £110 a week for their current payment..

What will next week bring??

24/02/2026

A PLEA TO OUR SERVICE USERS

We are currently inundated with requests for help with form filling. People are contacting us via WhatsApp, Messenger, text message, etc. These are getting lost amongst other messages and we are finding it difficult to keep up and respond to them all with appointments.

Therefore, we are going to have to prioritise requests that come via email.

Also, as our appointments diary is very full, can you ensure that there is at least a 2 week gap between your request and the date the form has to be returned by. If necessary, you can ring the DWP and ask for an extension.

The email address is

[email protected].

Thank you for your understanding

Helen Fisher
Director - Signs of a Rainbow CIC