Meet the pensioner playing golf this year thanks to ITV Border viewers

ITV Border's viewers have dug deep to help a Dumfries and Galloway pensioner who was facing the prospect of giving up his golf hobby.

Chick McKenna, a retired community worker, is facing a big jump in his energy bills following the end of a fixed tariff, which has forced him to make cutbacks elsewhere.

"Heat comes fist," he said.

After his story appeared on our main programme, Lookaround, and on our website, he was inundated with requests to help him.

He said: "I was almost in tears, I just could not believe people would be so generous to a random stranger.

"I only the world was like that all over, it would be great wouldn't it?"

He will now be able to continue with his hobby and is looking forward to taking on friends on the fairway.

Chick was surprised by the reaction and pointed out that he did not speak to ITV Border to highlight the issue of his golf club membership but to raise concerns about the rising cost of energy and the impact this is having.

Figures from Energy Action Scotland show Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders have some of the worst fuel poverty in Scotland, with 29% of families in both districts struggling with energy bills. Across Scotland 24% of people have to spend more than 10% of their income to pay fuel bills.

With prices set to rise further in April, charity Age UK has warned of a "national emergency" when it comes to energy bills.

Chick is now organising a petition, which he hopes to present to the government in Westminster, on the issue of the cost of power after he was spoken to by many people who have loved ones in a similar position to him.