Dorset Community Foundation have provided crisis funding from the Surviving Winter appeal to help an 80 year old partially sighted woman who was threatened with having her sole source of heating and cooking supply turned off just a few days before Christmas. She is partially sighted, recently widowed and struggling to cope on her own. The £500 crisis funding prevented this from happening.  They will also fund the travel costs for her to spend Christmas day at a care home’s “Open House” Christmas lunch.  Without this funding she was going to be on her own with no heating or means of cooking over Christmas. She was not within the benefits system and had concealed her situation from her son as she did not want him to worry.

Many individuals that struggle with fuel poverty, social isolation and are at risk of a cold-related death are not within the benefits system and may even appear to be coping to family and relatives.