A countywide appeal to help support the most vulnerable people in Suffolk has raised £100,000 in its first four weeks.
The Cost-of-Living Surviving Winter Appeal, which is supported by this newspaper, is being coordinated by Suffolk Community Foundation, Citizens Advice Ipswich and Suffolk County Council's 'Warm Homes Healthy People' project.
The initiative is the 12th in the annual series of winter appeals. However, the ongoing cost-of-living crisis has resulted in the campaign being widened to not only provide grants to help people pay for fuel, but also to support food projects and local charities.
Melanie Craig, chief executive of Suffolk Community Foundation, announced on Wednesday that £100,000 had already been raised just four weeks after the appeal was launched.
"The average size of donations compared to previous years has been much higher," she said.
"I think awareness is greater this year about the difficulties people are facing.
"To see this amount raised already gives us so much hope and it's touching that people are willing to be so generous and offer so much."
The Appeal will continue to run throughout winter, with grants to help pay for fuel available to people of all ages, while some food projects and charities - who are facing significant challenges themselves - will also receive vital support.
A total of 75,000 households across Suffolk are believed to be struggling to meet living costs and heat homes.
This comes amid the first few weeks of a challenging winter.
Last week, data from the Suffolk Community Foundation revealed an area of Woodbridge is facing some of the "highest deprivation in Europe".
"The cost-of-living crisis makes it harder for people to afford to eat, and this is seen across our county," said Paddy Bishopp, chair of the Foundation’s Food & Drink Fund.
"Having seen this first-hand from Haverhill to Lowestoft to Bury St. Edmunds, I know that we have to act now."
On Wednesday, Suffolk businesses were invited to Portman Road by campaign organisers to see how they could make a difference.
There, a panel consisting of Melanie Craig, Nicky Willshere, of Ipswich Citizens Advice, Henry Wilson, of Reach Haverhill, and Gary Crockett of Warm Homes Healthy People, shared stories of what they have seen in recent weeks.
"One lady who called in told us she was struggling to pay for her oil heating," said Nicky.
"She was forced to use an electric heater for an hour in the morning while her children got ready for school.
"The family all slept in the same bed at night and hadn't had the heating on for months.
"When she spoke with me, she burst into tears.
"These are the people we are helping and who we need to help with this Appeal."
Gary Crockett added a story of a mother whose home had become so damp that she had to tumble dry her son's duvet every night just to keep it dry.
"The objective of this campaign is to ease these pressures for people and alleviate some of the stress they're under.
"If we don't help them, they can end up with all sorts of physical and mental health problems.
"This appeal is already making a huge impact and we hope it will continue to do that over the coming months."
If you would like to receive individual support, wherever you are in Suffolk, please contact Citizen’s Advice Ipswich on 01473 298634.
To donate to the Appeal, donate online by visiting www.suffolkcf.org.uk, telephone 01473 602 602 (during office hours), visit any branch of Suffolk Building Society to make a payment over the counter or fill in the coupon in today’s East Anglian Daily Times and send a cheque.
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