What is it?

The Bristol Emergency Winter Fuel Fund is the culmination of amazing generosity from Bristolians and others! It's a pot of money distributed through an established referral system and trusted community partners, specifically to help people with their energy bills over the colder months between 2022 and 2023. Ambition Lawrence Weston is serving as the holder of the Fund. Bristol Energy Network is organising things and spearheading the comms effort to get Bristolians donating! This JustGiving page went live on Dec 1st 2022 and is due to close on Apr 1st 2023.

Why is it needed?

For a variety of reasons, energy bills have gone up by around 80% since April 2022. Even with the financial measures announced by the Government, a typical household will still be paying £2,500 a year. And those financial measures are due to end in April, meaning bills will go up even further then. On top of this, inflation in November 2022 was recorded at 11.1%, meaning prices for basic goods are going up at an alarming rate - the fastest in decades. Wages are not keeping pace with inflation, either. Some forecasts say thousands of Bristolians will struggle to heat their homes or cook their dinner this winter, with the rise in energy prices.

Who's involved?

Five community partners, known as anchor organisations (because they're rooted in their communities and know their communities the best) are distributing the Bristol Emergency Winter Fuel Fund. They are: Ambition Lawrence Weston, Eastside Community Trust, Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust, Re:work, and Heart of BS13. CHAS (City-Wide Housing Advice Service) and Bristol Disability Equality Forum are also supporting the Fund's efforts too.

What's the referral process?

You need to be referred in order to receive help from the Bristol Emergency Winter Fuel Fund. That might be through one of the five community partners directly, a GP or district nurse, another community or religious organisation, a councillor or MP, or a foodbank. You can access referral forms by clicking here and scrolling down past the map. Each community partner has its own specific referral form. Please make it clear in the subject line of your email that you are referring someone for help from the Fund, as this makes it easier for the community partners. Each partner is distributing the Fund according to their own GDPR and data security processes, which are also described in the link.

We want the Fund to help as many people in Bristol as possible. Referrals can expect to receive the following:

Single Person - £60

Couple - £80

Family of 1 Dependent (e.g. child, older person) - £100

Family of 2+ Dependents - an extra £20 per dependent up to £150 maximum.

As a general rule of thumb, community partners will stick to the giving amounts above. In particularly exceptional circumstances where a small variation to the giving amount would make a significant situational difference, community partners may decide to award a slightly different amount. This is solely at the discretion of the community partners.

How will this work in practice?

Each community partner is taking referrals for residents living near their area, as per the map below. Between them all, every part of Bristol is covered. The area that each partner is covering is outlined in blue. We are only able to take referrals to support people living in the Bristol City Council area. That area is outlined below in orange. The map is intended to be a rough outline only, so if you're not sure which community partner should be helping someone, select the organisation that best fits their address when making a referral.

Ambition Lawrence Weston is covering North West Bristol: including Lawrence Weston, Avonmouth, Brentry, Shirehampton, and Sea Mills.

Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust is covering North East Bristol: including Lockleaze, Southmead, Fishponds, and Horfield.

Eastside Community Trust is covering Central Bristol: including Broadmead, Easton, Eastville, Lawrence Hill, St George, Barton Hill and Redfield.

Heart of BS13 is covering part of South Bristol: including Hartcliffe, Bishopsworth, Withywood, Stockwood, and Hengrove.

Re:work is covering part of South Bristol: including Knowle West, Brislington, Southville, Bedminster, and Crew's Hole.

Are any of you taking a cut from donations?

No. We've managed to secured funds externally to cover the cost of running and distributing the Bristol Emergency Winter Fuel Fund, which means we don't have to take a single penny from donations themselves. It means they can all go towards helping Bristolians who need it.

Will it affect my Universal Credit if I get help from the Fund?

No, receiving money from the Bristol Emergency Winter Fuel Fund will not affect any Universal Credit payments you receive. You are allowed to receive that money on top of any benefits you are entitled to.