THE Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF) is calling on anyone who receives the Winter Fuel Payment but does not need some or all of it, to donate it to Cornwall’s Surviving Winter campaign.

The aim is to help older people in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly stay warm and well this winter.

The campaign, associated with the UK-wide Surviving Winter appeal, is encouraging individuals to raise funds to help elderly and vulnerable residents across the county who are suffering throughout the winter due to rocketing energy prices, lack of access to hot food and energy efficiency issues.

Despite the mild temperatures this year, winter is still a very challenging time for many of those who live in our communities. The CCF said 24% of households in Cornwall are in fuel poverty, rising to 40% in parts of Cornwall, and there are more than 342 ‘excess’ deaths in Cornwall in winter each year.

Oliver Baines, CEO of the CCF, said: “Getting caught up in the festive season can often make us forget how difficult a time this can be for elderly people. For many people in Cornwall it is a real struggle to strike a balance between paying the heating bills and staying warm and healthy. We have many small specialist community organisations who are equipped to give support and direct, practical help, and these will also be a priority for our funds. This year we are aiming to raise £30,000 to help those most in need of our support.”

Donations can be made by sending a cheque made payable to The Cornwall Community Foundation or by visiting www.cornwallfoundation.com and following the links to the Just Giving page.

For further information, contact a member of staff on 01566 779333 or [email protected]

Last winter the campaign successfully allocated £15,550 in grants to a total of 13 organisations. More than 500 people benefited from the help received in Cornwall.

The groups that benefited from the fund during winter 2015-16 are Action for Children, CAB Cornwall Liskeard, Community Energy Plus, Cornwall Rural Community Charity, Cornwall Women’s Refuge Trust, Gateway 2 New Life, Inclusion Cornwall, Launceston Memory Café, St Austell Community Kitchen, The Oasis Centre, Volunteer Cornwall, Wadebridge Foodbank and Storehouse and the Wild Young Parents Project.

STAK in St Austell received £750 to assist people with long-term mental health conditions, homeless or disabled people and people who are isolated living on their own. Everyone who is helped has no form of income or a very limited one.

WILD Young Parents Project received £1,000 from the CCF to distribute small sums of money to those in difficulty. WILD facilitates eleven groups in Cornwall for parents aged 19 and under and their children. Their group activities include cooking, budgeting, physical activity and mental health support and generally promoting health and wellbeing for families. Many of their beneficiaries struggle financially during the winter period due to heating costs and many of them have small children.