Call to donate Winter Fuel Payments to Surviving Winter campaign

20,000 vulnerable people benefited from Winter Fuel Payment donations last year.

Well-off pensioners are once again being urged to donate their Winter Fuel Payments to help others, with the relaunch of the Surviving Winter campaign for 2013.

This is the third year for the campaign, orchestrated by UK Community Foundations, which aims to convince older people that are financially comfortable to donate their Winter Fuel Payments to the less fortunate.

It says that £1.2 million was raised last year, which in turn through individual grants helped 20,000 people in debt to their energy provider, provided support for local organisations that help elderly and vulnerable people and provided funding for food banks.

The Winter Fuel Payment is worth between £100 and £300 and is available to anyone born before 5th January 1952, irrespective of their financial position. The payments are made automatically between November and December.

If you would like to donate, you can do so on the UK Community Foundations website.

Figures released today show Winter Fuel Payments to people in Europe have almost doubled in the past year, following a European Courts of Justice ruling increasing the number of people entitled to the money.

What do you think? Will you be donating your Winter Fuel Payment this year? Should the payments be means tested? Let us know your thoughts in the Comment box below.

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