Pensioner donates Winter Fuel Payment for #GivingTuesday

A pensioner has decided to donate her Winter Fuel Payment to help people who are struggling with their energy bills. Gen James, who is in her sixties and from Bath, is still working and able to pay her energy bills. After recently becoming eligible to receive the Winter Fuel Payment, Gen decided to donate the money that she received from it to the charity Turn2us on #GivingTuesday.

Turn2us helps people in financial hardship gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants, and can also provide direct financial assistance through a range of specific funds that are managed directly by the charity, including the Elizabeth Finn Fund.

Gen, who is encouraging other people in similar positions to donate their Winter Fuel Payment to charity, was particularly alarmed by last week’s release of the Excess Winter Deaths for 2015/2016,  which revealed that 24,300 died as a result of the cold last Winter.

Gen said: “I find it really distressing to hear about people struggling to pay their fuel bills. People who have to choose between ‘heat or eat’. All kinds of people of different ages in very different circumstances all living in absolutely dire circumstances desperately needing help to get through every day life. I wanted to help them.

“I have also been campaigning in my own small way to encourage friends and colleagues to do the same. I am now able to draw a Winter Fuel Payment myself, but as my husband and I are both fortunate enough to be working in good jobs, we don’t really struggle to pay our fuel bills.

“I am happy to pay this money over to a charity like Turn2us who can directly help people who are affected, and also positively campaign to raise awareness of this awful situation. It only seems to be getting worse, not better. Over time it is affecting more and more people.”

Praising Gen for her donation, Zena Carter, Head of Fundraising at Turn2us, said: “It is very generous of Gen to donate her Winter Fuel Payment. The money will make an important difference in the life of someone struggling to heat their home, at a time when far too many people cannot afford to heat their homes.”

If you would like to donate your Winter Fuel Payment to Turn2us, you can make the donation at www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/turn2us/nocoldhomes
 

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For further information and interviews with Turn2us case studies or spokespeople, please contact:

Una Farrell, Communications Manager, on

una.farrell@turn2us.org.uk or 0208 834 9259

About Turn2us:

• Turn2us is a national charity that helps people in financial hardship to gain access to welfare benefits, charitable grants and support services – online, by phone and face to face through partners and volunteers
• The Turn2us website includes a Benefits Calculator to find out what welfare benefits and tax credits you could be entitled to, a Grants Search to find out if you might be eligible for support from over 3,000 charitable funds, and a range of information and resources to help people in financial hardship
• Turn2us can also provide direct financial assistance through a range of specific funds that are managed directly by the charity, including the Elizabeth Finn Fund which supports people from over 120 different professions
• For more information, please visit the Turn2us website