Sure, Kate Winslet may be the greatest living actress. But she’s also quite the humanitarian — because as it turns out she just helped save a life!
Carolynne Hunter is a struggling mother just trying to find a way to accommodate her disabled daughter’s needs. Her family lives in public housing in Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, where Carolynne’s daughter, 12-year-old Freya Hunter, requires a high amount of energy to power her oxygen, which she relies on due to a severe form of cerebral palsy.
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Unfortunately, that’s gotten much more expensive lately. The surging energy prices in Scotland come as Europe shifts away from Russian energy following their invasion of Ukraine, leaving many people struggling to stay afloat. Hunter told the BBC last week:
“My older daughter and I have historically lived in fuel poverty to keep Freya safe and comfortable making sure all her medical needs are being met whilst allowing me to keep my bills as low as possible.”
She added:
“I have no way of reducing the usage of energy in our home.”
Her local housing department estimated her electricity cost this year to be around £17,000 — that’s just over $20k in American dollars. The mother of two explained in a GoFundMe posed November 9:
“In March I was paying £225 ($265) a month, I struggled to pay that. Since April I have had £400 ($470) a month taken for energy costs. As of 20th Oct £505 ($593) is what I am being forced to pay. Help!”
Well, it would appear that an angel saw her plea and wanted to do just that! The BBC reports that Kate caught wind of the family’s crisis and donated the full £17,000 to help combat Freya’s rising energy costs. Carolynne told the outlet:
“When I heard about the money I just burst into tears — I thought it wasn’t even real. I’m still thinking, is this real?”
As real as the Titanic star’s multiple Oscars! (Wait, really? Only ONE?? Huh…) Anyway, this comes as a HUGE relief to Carolynne, as she noted:
“Health & Social Care and Government Public Health have not provided me with a contingency plan to keep Freya safe at home should these power outages happen.”
It warms our hearts and restores our faith in humanity a bit to see such a kind gesture! (Though we really wish governments weren’t letting folks like her fall through the cracks — no one should need to be saved by celebs!) Wishing all the best for the Hunter family in the future. Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments (below)!
[Images via Carolynne Hunter/GoFundMe & Drew Altizer/WENN]
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