Please return this form with your donation to Laura Hewitt, Surviving Winter Appeal, Devon Community Foundation The Factory, Leat Street, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 5LL

Or visit www.justgiving.com/Surviving-Winter to donate online

*This information is for Devon Community Foundation’s records and in order to

claim gift aid and will not be shared with any other organisations.

We expect the cost to be covered from the total Gift Aid claimed and for the full value of donors’ gifts to be spent directly on grant-making.

outpatients and 18,000 social

service calls in Devon each year

placing a huge strain on our

already burdened hospitals and

medical centres.

With government cuts to the fuel

allowance these figures may well

increase. The Winter Fuel

Payment has been cut from £250

to £200 for households with at

least one person over 60 and

from £400 to £300 for those with

a person over 80. These

represent substantial cuts to our

communities eldest and most

vulnerable residents and would

be easier to digest if fuel prices

were decreasing.

But as we are all aware fuel prices

haven’t decreased: they have

soared. This year the average

dual fuel energy bill will top

£1,300, according to last month’s

Ofgem report. For a pensioner,

receiving the basic state pension

of £102.15 per week (£5,211.80

annually) being able to afford to

heat your home adequately is a

difficult proposition with or

without the Winter Fuel Payment.

Devon Community Foundation, The Factory, Leat Street, Tiverton EX16 5LL

Call: 01884 235887 Visit: www.devoncf.comA company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales, Company No: 3236918

Charity no: 1057923

600 older people in Devon are at risk of dying as a result of fuel poverty this winter.And that is not all, for every

additional winter death, there are

an estimated eight admissions to

hospital, 32 attendances at

outpatient care and 30 social

service calls. That’s 4,800

hospital admissions, 19,200

donate nowVisit www.justgiving.com/Surviving-Winter or send a cheque to the address shown below, but don’t forget to use this GiftAid form to make the most of your donation.

We need your donation NOW to make sure that hundreds of vulnerable people make it through the winter.

GiftAid FormI would like to donate to Devon Community Foundation’s Surviving Winter

Appeal and enclose a cheque made payable to Devon Community Foundation.

By Gift aiding your donation you will add 25% to the value of your donation.

I will gift aid my donation to the Surviving Winter Appeal

To qualify for gift aid what you pay in income tax or capital gains tax during the

year must be at least equal to the amount we claim.

To claim it we need your details below*:

Name:

Address:

Postcode:

Email:

Phone:

“I fully support the “Surviving Winter

Appeal” to assist the elderly and the

vulnerable to keep warm and healthy

during our cold winters. If you are in a

position to do so please help by donating

all or part of your winter fuel payment to

this very worthwhile cause”.

Sir Michael Parkinson

“Staying warm and healthy in our cold

winters is something most of us take

for granted. However, when the idea of

those more fortunate “handing on” their

winter fuel payments to local, vulnerable

people was presented, I wanted to

pledge my payment to the “Surviving

Winter Appeal”. It would be great to

think that all those people who are in a

position to forego part or all of their own

winter fuel payment could join this great

scheme and spread a little warmth”.

Sir David Jason

“This is an excellent way for local people

to help some of the most vulnerable older

people in their area. I’ll certainly pass my

payment on, and encourage everybody

who can, to contribute towards it.”

Sir Terry Wogan

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The effect of increasing fuel prices is

that now one in every five households

in the South West are fuel poor. (That

means that they have to spend more

than 10% of their total household

income on fuel.) The number of

homes described as living in fuel

poverty has rocketed in the last few

years. It is estimated that there are

over 84,000 households in fuel

poverty in Devon. The choice facing

many of these people each day is

stark: heat their homes or eat.

More must be done to support

those in need due to fuel poverty;

beyond the hospital admissions and

social service visits it is known that

relieving cold and debt (for example,

from energy bills) could reduce

depression by half and visits to

general practitioners by a quarter.

Last winter, many people suffering

fuel poverty remained confined to

one room in an attempt to keep

themselves warm. Retired widower

David said, “If it gets far too cold, I

go to bed. Last winter I spent more

time in bed than I did downstairs.”

Community Foundations across the

country are co-ordinating Surviving

Winter: an appeal devised to tackle

some of these issues. The

Community Foundation’s network of

relationships with charity and

community leaders across the

county is well placed to identify

winter need and to target the money

raised with speed and efficiency.

Launched on 10th November, in

the Houses of Commons, the

appeal already has many

supporters, who have pledged to

Surviving Winter

pass on their own Winter Fuel

Payments to support those in need.

Of course, you don’t have to be in

receipt of a Winter Fuel Payment in

order to donate to the appeal: we

are asking all those who can afford

it to help in some way.

What is particularly great about

this appeal is that all funds raised

are distributed locally. So if you

live in Devon, and donate through

Devon Community Foundation,

your money will help another

Devon resident.

Appeal supporter and Devon

resident Ann Widdecombe was

the first to donate her Winter Fuel

Payment to the Surviving Winter

Appeal. Ann’s support is

gratefully received: her contribution

will help local people in real need,

but we need more of you to follow

in her footsteps and support the

appeal to ensure that we do our

utmost to protect the older

and vulnerable people in our

communities this winter.

For many households the Winter

Fuel Payment is a welcome boost

to household income, but we

know in many cases it simply is

not enough on its own. With a

national target of £1 million across

the UK, funds raised will make

sure older people can afford to

stay warm, eat well and remain

mobile, as well as help them in

practical ways such as ensuring

they can make doctor’s

appointments, get to the shops,

and maintain an active social life.

Community Foundations are

channelling the funds raised

through local organisations,

who will identify people who

need extra support this winter.

We will also be supporting

groups providing an essential

lifeline to older or vulnerable

people in our communities.

“I will be the first to

donate my Winter

Fuel Payment to the

Surviving Winter

Appeal. This small

gesture is such an

easy and obvious

way to support local

people in real need

and I hope others will

follow suit.” Ann Widdecombe

“Your donations will make all the

difference to thousands of vulnerable

and elderly people in Devon. I do

hope that you will join me to

support the Surviving Winter Appeal

this year.” Jonathan Dimbleby

So if you’re asking yourself what

can I do this Christmas to help

people in real need, and you don’t

need your Winter Fuel Payment or

can help in any other way, then

look no further and donate now to

Devon Community Foundation’s

Surviving Winter Appeal. It’s easy,

obvious and effective so let’s help

build a better future together.

“I fully sympathize with anyone

suffering from the cold. The Surviving

Winter appeal is a great opportunity to help

alleviate hardship during the winter.”

Ranulph Fiennes

In a recent home visit to a Devon

couple, Sarah Ready, an advisor

with Torbay Citizen’s Advice

Bureau, interviewed a retired

engineering industry worker and

his wife, a former school

teacher. She found that the

couple is under severe financial

strain resulting in fuel poverty.

Sarah said, “The flat was very cold

because this couple, both in their

late 70’s, are not putting the

heating on. They are relying on

large levels of clothing to keep

warm and existing health problems,

such as arthritis, are being

exacerbated by the cold.”

Sarah went on to say, “It wasn’t

only fuel that was putting a strain

on their budget. Although they

had always been a very frugal

couple, who had always previously

made ends meet, they were now

£3,000 in debt. The debt had

arisen in fuel, water and food bills

despite the limited heating they

allowed themselves and the steps

they had taken to reduce spending

on food items, for example by

purchasing almost out of date

foods and dented tins.”

Money donated towards the

Surviving Winter Appeal will help to

support older people like these.

They are a prime example of Devon’s

residents who need the support of

the Surviving Winter appeal, but

unfortunately they are far from

unusual. We can’t emphasis enough

what a difference your support could

make to your community this winter.

Indoor temperature and health

Above 18˚C No adverse health effects

Below 16˚C Risk of respiratory infections

Below 12˚C Increased blood pressure

Below 9˚C Deep body temperature falls

Ideal room temperatures Living room 21˚CBathroom 22˚CHall/Stairs 16˚CKitchen 18˚CBedroom 18˚C(World Health Organisation statistics)

dona

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xt “I love this campaign ...

it just makes sense.” Judi Spiers

‘We don’t want to spend much needed cash on promoting this appeal and so word of mouth is vital. If all you can do is tell others, please do, it’s a massive help – Thank you.’

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