This winter GroceryAid is joining forces with Turn2us, a charity that helps people in financial hardship, to help combat fuel poverty.
Being able to walk into a warm home is something we often taken for granted, but with well over two million UK households living in fuel poverty, the cold reality of the situation is on our doorstep. The importance of staying warm is crucial to health and wellbeing and can often be sacrificed by low income households for other necessities.
The Turn2us campaign – #NoColdHomes – runs from 18th November to 16th December and aims to raise awareness, as well as encourage those affected to see how Turn2us can help. There is also advice on benefits, grants and other help that people could be entitled to entitled to when looking for help with heating their homes. To find out more about how Turn2us can help visit www.turn2us.org.uk/NoColdHomes.
Those looking for help can also use the GroceryAid Helpline which provides advice about keeping warm and the Government’s Warm Home discount scheme.
GroceryAid will also be giving all its beneficiaries a discretionary grant of £100 with the normal December payment to help with extra fuel costs during winter months.
A GroceryAid beneficiary, Mr G, 65, explained how the charity helped him tackle fuel poverty: “I was delighted to be accepted as the money really does make a difference to us – we don’t need to worry so much about paying heating bills – something we can’t afford to do without as neither of us enjoys good health. It’s a big weight off our minds.”
As part of the No Cold Homes campaign, Turn2us is hosting an online celebrity clothes auction (30th November to 9th December) to raise awareness of people’s struggles to heat their homes, and funds to help more people affected. For more information visit www.turn2us.org.uk and search for No Cold Homes auction.
To find out more please visit www.groceryaid.org.uk, email welfare@groceryaid.org.uk or call 01252 875925. For welfare advice please call the GroceryAid helpline on 08088 021122.
