This campaign has now closed
Donate your Winter Fuel Payment to help someone who needs it more to survive this winter. Keeping warm is obvioulsy a major factor but when you find it difficult to get out and about in the best of weather, the winter is a time when elderly people feel even more vulnerable, lonely and isolated.
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
People live in fuel poverty when their fuel costs take more than 10% of their income. In Oxfordshire 172 excess winter deaths are related to cold weather conditions. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has estimated that a typical pensioner couple living in a rural dwelling will spend £580 more each year on heating and lighting than if they lived in an urban dwelling. More than 50% of the population of Oxfordshire live in rural areas where oil is often the only available source of fuel.
Solution
In the true spirit of Christmas, we are calling on those who can afford to forego their Winter Fuel Allowance to donate the money, or some small part of it to those for whom it is not nearly enough. The Oxfordshire Community Foundation will distribute the money raised to small volunteer led groups working on a one to one basis with the elderly to provide pratical help and support with home visits, befriending visits and emergency grants to fund their immediate fuel costs.