Current temperature in London:

An illustrated comic strip. Panel 1: Some woolly socks that look warm. The text reads: “I’m wearing jackets, sweaters…I have to wear three socks and cover all my body.” Panel 2: A show home in Ikea. The text reads: “It’s very difficult for me, sometimes I have to go to the shops…we have to go to Ikea to stay there for warmth”. Panel 3: Some wringing hands, they look cold. The text reads: “I’m a mother of three children and this winter I am so stressed and depressed. I don’t know how I’m going to manage!”.
An illustration of some woolly socks that look warm. The text reads: “I’m wearing jackets, sweaters…I have to wear three socks and cover all my body.”An illustration of a show home in Ikea. The text reads: “It’s very difficult for me, sometimes I have to go to the shops…we have to go to Ikea to stay there for warmth”An illustration of some wringing hands, they look cold. The text reads: “I’m a mother of three children and this winter I am so stressed and depressed. I don’t know how I’m going to manage!”.

Interview 1 and 2

person Participants: Four occupants (G and her three children) but her older daughter, grandkids, and her ex-husband stay often.
distance Location: Wembley
apartment Housing type: Flat
receipt_long Heating costs: £150/week

G has to keep her flat warm at all times because of the mould problem – the moment the temperature goes down, the damp spreads all over and makes certain parts of the house unusable.

How they stay warm

G makes soup and porridge to stay warm and wears two pairs of socks. She also makes traditional Ghanian food like Foo foo and stew, which can help warm the insides of the body.

Two warm spaces identified by G is Ikea and the nearby McDonald’s where nobody asks questions, and one does not need to keep ordering food to stay there. It is a good temperature inside, and the kids don’t complaint about it

A video of G, with her daughter who has a foot-injury and so she isn’t going to school. G explains here why she needs to keep the house warm all the time.

Y explains how she tries to stay warm but ultimately it is not about tricks but about money – even to go to shops to stay warm, one needs money to spend, Y says.