Winter Appeal

Supporting residents who need help paying their bills or who are in financial hardship

Our Winter Warmth fund was established in 2012 to support older people struggling to pay their fuel bills and almost 14 years later it’s continuing to provide relief to the 3 in 5 elderly residents living in K+C who ration their heating for fear of not being able to afford it. We work in partnership with Age UK K+C, Citizens Advice K+C, Nucleus Legal Advice Centre and Nova New Opportunities who identify older people in need and make payments to clients’ energy companies on their behalf.

In 2021, as more people began to worry about affording their bills, we knew we had to act and support as many people as possible. The scheme has now been extended to help anyone living in K+C who needs help paying their bills or who is in financial hardship. We are continuing to work with the same four partners to pay fuel bills and can now also arrange emergency cash payments, through the Cash Perks payment system. The partners will also offer a holistic, wrap around support service so that anyone accessing emergency money will also get the care, information and support they need to change their circumstances and improve their situation.

The scheme has been made possible thanks to the generosity of the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust, the Government’s Household Support Fund administered by RBKC, St Mary Abbot’s Rehabilitation and Training (SMART) and donations from our supporters.

If you, or someone you know, is worried about bills please click here for more information.