Somerset Community Foundation (SCF), which is based at the Bath and West Showground near Shepton Mallet, has launched this year's Surviving Winter campaign, which encourages people who can afford it to donate some or all of their Winter Fuel Payment to help local people who are unable to afford to heat their homes.

Based on the most recent available data, SCF can estimate that around 6,500 of our pensioner neighbours in Somerset face a stark decision between heating and eating.

In Somerset, almost 11 per cent of households live in fuel poverty, and cold weather is a prime cause of more than 500 preventable deaths a year - often worsened by living in older or isolated rural homes.

Last year more than 500 elderly people living in Somerset were helped to stay warm and well through the cold winter months, thanks to the generosity of local donors who donated more than £100,000 to Surviving Winter.

SCF hopes to build on the fantastic support they received last year to help even more older people in the county this winter.

Thanks to support from a generous funder and The Big Give, online donations to the campaign that are made during the week-long Big Give Christmas Challenge - from noon on Tuesday December 3 to noon on Tuesday December 10 - will be doubled.

So, not only will your donation be worth twice as much, but SCF will also be able to help even more older and isolated people across Somerset feel warm, safe and well this winter.

SCF is delighted to announce that Glastonbury Festival organiser and long-time Surviving Winter supporter Michael Eavis has endorsed the campaign for another year.

Michael said: "The Surviving Winter campaign appealed to me right from the start.

"If everyone who can afford it gave their Winter Fuel Payment to Somerset Community Foundation's Surviving Winter appeal, hundreds of our pensioners across Somerset would have a more comfortable winter.

"I'm very happy to donate my Winter Fuel Payment to Somerset Community Foundation again this year."

If you would like to donate to Surviving Winter, click on the red button below or call 01749 344949.

A donation form is also available to download from the Somerset Community Foundation website.

For information on how to apply for a Surviving Winter grant, contact either the Community Council for Somerset on 01823 331222 or Age UK Somerset on 01823 345610.