THOSE who receive the winter fuel payment are being called on by The Cornwall Community Foundation (CCF) to donate any excess funds to its ‘Surviving Winter’ campaign.

Launceston Memory Café was among the businesses to benefit from funding in 2014-15 and the campaign had a great impact addressing winter costs such as food, weekly shopping trips, befriending services and help with energy efficiency issues.

The campaign aims to help elderly and vulnerable residents in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly stay warm and well this winter — and excess funds donated will go towards this.

The funds will be put towards things like easing the strain of energy prices, hot food and energy efficiency issues.

Chief executive officer of the CCF Oliver Baines said: “Last year we were overwhelmed by the generosity of all those who supported this crucial campaign. Winter celebrations can often blind us to how difficult a time this can be for elderly people, who without valuable support find surviving the winter an exhausting experience. Heating bills, staving off coldness and the threat of hypothermia are just some the dangers, loneliness can take its toll too.

“Four years ago the CCF ran the first of its Surviving Winter campaigns, and this year we do so for the fifth time, aiming to raise £30,000 to help those most in need of our support.

“We are calling on all of our friends and the public to the most vulnerable residents in Cornwall. We will distribute the funds among community groups responding to these needs across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.”

Last winter the CCF doubled the amount that was awarded and the campaign was able to allocated £19,576 in grants to a total of 15 organisations. More than 2,000 people benefited.