As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to have a profound impact on all our lives, we perhaps have a greater empathy than ever before of what it is to feel vulnerable, lonely or isolated.

At this time of year, for the team at the Foundation and all our annual Surviving Winter Appeal partners and existing donors, thoughts inevitably turn to the coming months and the impact that shorter days and colder nights may have on the health and wellbeing, particularly of vulnerable older people and others experiencing deprivation or serious issues affecting their physical or mental health.

With winter almost upon us, Suffolk is bracing itself for a dramatic increase in need. Last year our annual Surviving Winter Appeal raised enough money to heat over 1000 homes and connected many hundreds of people to other services to help tackle isolation, address physical and mental health challenges, improve poor living conditions, solve debt problems and assist with access to services to help them stay safe and well.

This year, we are expecting more people to need our help than ever before, so we are merging the Surviving Winter Appeal with the central Rebuilding Local Lives initiative that we have been running since the start of the pandemic. We hope that this action will deliver a much louder and easily understood central message to increase local giving and ensure that every person in our Caring County is supported to Stay Warm, Stay Well and Stay Connected .

Our pledge:

Stay Warm - The appeal will support vulnerable individuals and families to heat their homes

Stay Well - As we process requests for help with winter fuel, we will also ask questions about general health and wellbeing, living conditions, energy tariffs, review benefit options and provide advice around debt and other financial concerns. We will also offer to connect people to support from other charities and organisations in Suffolk who can help with other immediate concerns and provide longer term solutions wherever possible.

Stay Connected - Following the recent collapse of Age UK Suffolk and its countywide Befriending Scheme, Suffolk Community Foundation is offerIng grants to Good Neighbourhood Schemes, Community Groups and Charities to step up their Winter activities wherever possible to assist people to stay in touch with the community that they are living in and receive other practical help they may need during the winter months.