THOUSANDS of households on Attendance Allowance can get free and cheap days out.
A host of attractions, venues and museums offer concessionary tickets to those on benefits.
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A number let those on Attendance Allowance in for discounted rates too. We’ve rounded up six that might be worth a visit.
Arts Depot
The Arts Depot, London, offers free and subsidised tickets (usually costing £14) for selected shows across the year.
To claim the tickets you have to first apply for the Artsdepot Access Fund.
You will then be able to access two tickets for adult shows and up to four tickets for family shows on a first come first serve basis.
To qualify, you must live in: Barnet, Harrow, Brent, Camden, Haringey, Enfield or Hertfordshire.
You must also be on one of the following benefits:
- Attendance Allowance
- Carers Allowance
- Child receives free school meals
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Housing Benefit
- Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
- Pension Credit
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Universal Credit (UC)
For further details and to apply go to www.artsdepot.co.uk/artsdepot-access-fund.
Stanley Arts
Stanley Arts, in London, runs an Affordable Ticket Scheme offering free or discounted tickets to selected performances. Tickets usually cost up to £14.
You may also get subsidised entry to workshops and audio-described tours.
However, the scheme is only open to residents living in the following postcodes: SE25, CR0, SE19, SE20 or CR7.
You will also need to be on one of the following benefits:
- Attendance Allowance
- Carer’s Allowance
- Your child receives Free School Meals
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Housing Benefit
- Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Pension Credit
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Universal Credit (UC)
- Bereavement Support Payment
You can sign up and find out more via www.stanleyarts.org/community-arts/affordable-tickets-scheme.
Opera North
National opera company Opera North, in Leeds, offers £10 tickets to households on Attendance Allowance.
You can also claim the concessionary tickets if you’re on Pension Credit, Disability Living Allowance, PIP and Universal Credit.
Standard entry tickets can cost from £16.
Find out more via www.operanorth.co.uk/your-visit/tickets-visit-faqs.
UK Cinema Association cinema trips
The UK Cinema Association (UKCA) runs a CEA Card scheme offering those on Attendance Allowance free carer tickets.
The card costs £6.50 per year and can be used to claim free tickets across more than 100 venues.
You can also apply if you’re on Disability Living Allowance, PIP, Adult/Child Disability Payment or Armed Forces Independence Payment.
More details and how to apply can be found via www.ceacard.co.uk.
National Trust
National Trust offers The Essential Companion card which lets you bring one or two carers with you into one its sites for free.
This might apply to you if you’re on Attendance Allowance and have a carer.
You just have to flash the card when you arrive and whoever is with you can go through the turnstiles without paying.
Standard adult tickets usually range in price from £15 to £20.
You can sign up for one of the cards by calling the National Trust customer service line on 0344 800 1895.
Or you can email enquiries@nationaltrust.org.uk. Find out more via www.nationaltrust.org.uk/who-we-are/about-us/access-for-everyone.
Chessington World of Adventures
Chessington World of Adventures also offers free carer tickets to those on Attendance Allowance.
The visitor, so the person receiving Attendance Allowance, has to pay the full amount for a ticket though, with prices starting from £29.
The person caring for you must be over 14 years of age and any carer ticket cannot be pre-booked.
Further details on the concessionary tickets can be found via www.chessington.com/plan-your-visit/before-you-visit/accessibility-guide/accessibility-planning.
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
