YOUR caring Citizen has won glowing praise from Age Concern - for recently highlighting pensioners' rights over savings thresholds concerning residential homes.

And your number one free community newspaper has teamed up with Age Concern once again to showcase the Your Rights Week, which runs from April 22-28.

Thousands of local older people may be missing out on welfare benefits they are entitled to, and during Your Rights Week, Age Concern is inviting people to contact them to check - in confidence - whether there is any further help they can claim.

With big increases in council tax bills this year, Age Concern feel there must be a number of older people who are missing out on council tax benefits.

Kevin Durkin, Age Concern's advice and information officer, said: "Those with savings up to £16,000 may still qualify for help if their income is low.

"There may also be many older people locally who can claim income support, which is extra weekly money. This will depend on income and savings, but we know there are a lot of people, particularly those over 80 years, who are missing out."

Help may also be available to pensioners on a low income towards the cost of glasses and dental treatment.

To find out more, older people and their carers are urged to contact Age Concern at 4 King Street, Blackburn, Tel 664242, or 11 Union Street, Darwen, Tel 773440, from April 22.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.