Supporting Cornwall through the Cold – Surviving Winter 2024

Last winter, one in five adults said they struggled to keep comfortably warm in their home.

This came from a survey covering 18 October 2023 – 1 January 2024 conducted by the Office for National Statistics. They also found:

four in ten energy bill payers were struggling to afford payments.

In Cornwall fuel poverty impacts 15.4% of all households (40,355 homes), according to Cornwall Council. We know from our work with groups supporting communities across Cornwall that this forces people into making heartbreaking choices. Sometimes choosing between feeding their families or heating their homes.

People living in cold and damp homes don’t work as well and often struggle to go about their day-to-day lives. Children can struggle to concentrate on homework and people can become isolated. Cornwall Council have also shared that there is the worry of carbon monoxide poisoning from badly maintained boilers or chimneys.

What are we doing to help?

As we head into winter, many people in our communities face a bleak and challenging few months. To help individuals through this time, hundreds of community groups across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly work with us to distribute ‘Surviving Winter’.

Through the Surviving Winter FundA sum of money made available for grant making, often with specific criteria/conditions., we give out grants that ensure the most vulnerable are supported and that no one is having to go without basic needs. Groups apply for funding that allows them to respond to the needs of people in their community.

“I cannot begin to tell you just how important this funding has been to the service usersIndividuals being supported by the group or organisation applying for a grant. we support. The cost of living crisis is a very scary time for a lot of them. We have supported hundreds of people with essential food, toiletries and financial support towards energy costs.

The charity has found itself having a significant increase in the demand for our help. We have had parents going without food so that children can have one meal a day. We have been able to provide food so that people do not have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. The choice of heat or eat is a real issue that a lot of people are facing. Without this funding we would not have been able to help over 1000 people with food.” – The Old Bank, Camelford

Help us support organisations making a real difference in your communities, donate to Surviving Winter 2024 now.

If you are working with an organisation that would benefit from this funding, learn more about the Surviving Winter Fund online.