Surviving Winter Grants 2025/26
We are delighted that our first round of funding has been awarded with 24 organisations receiving a share of £52,100. The fund is reliant on donations and is currently fully committed. We hope to be able to offer more grants as soon as funding becomes available.
As the cold weather sets in, more vulnerable older people will need support. For more information, and how to donate, please click here.
Citizens Advice East Suffolk (East Suffolk) – Supporting clients to access financial and practical help and signposting them to community services that reduce isolation and loneliness.
REACH Community Projects (Haverhill and Newmarket) – Providing fuel vouchers, food parcels, debt advice, and support with benefit applications.
Rendlesham Community Centre Charity (Rendlesham)– Offering warm, safe, and welcoming spaces, including meals, for vulnerable older residents.
Access Community Trust (Lowestoft) – Distributing electric blankets, energy-efficient cooking appliances, and supermarket vouchers, alongside referrals to vital support services.
Bildeston Community Support (Hadleigh, Sudbury and Stowmarket areas) – Supplying food and winter-warm packs throughout the winter months.
Gatehouse Caring (Bury St Edmunds) – Providing a community warm space, warm winter clothing, winter wellbeing packs, and Christmas hampers for residents in the Bury St Edmunds area.
Hour Community (Framlingham) – Continuing and expanding the ‘Forget Me Not’ dementia-friendly lunch club, offering a warm weekly meeting space with entertainment and lunch.
Ipswich & District Citizens Advice – Delivering advice and support on energy bills, as well as outreach support services.
Rural Coffee Caravan (rural Suffolk) – Purchasing and distributing supermarket vouchers to older people in need.
St Mary and St Botolph, Whitton (Ipswich) – Contributing to food for the Top-Up Shop and supporting their Community Café/Warm Space.
Suffolk Family Carers (Suffolk) – Supporting the most vulnerable family carers currently engaged with Suffolk Family Carers and those they care for, to stay warm, safe, fed, and connected during the winter. The project focuses on essential needs such as heating, food, and access to services.
Café 66 Suffolk (Kesgrave) – Providing free lunches in a warm, welcoming space with hot drinks available.
All Saints Church (Newmarket) – Offering a warm space over winter for vulnerable and lonely individuals, along with help to address financial needs, and providing food and refreshments.
St John’s Church (Beck Row) – Funding weekly ‘Warm Room’ activities for elderly residents.
Lightwave Community CIO (Bury St Edmunds) – Providing a warm space, refreshments, food bags, energy advice, vouchers, money management and digital access.
YMCA Trinity (Lowestoft) – Providing winter health and wellbeing bags for people over 60 in need.
St Mary Magdalene Church (Bildeston) – Food bank coffee mornings.
Ipswich Outreach Bus (Ipswich) – Providing warm clothing and winter essentials for vulnerably housed or homeless people.
Pathways Care Farm (Lowestoft) – Providing warm meals and social interaction, including takeaway options.
Haverhill Community Trust (Haverhill) – Supporting the Health and Wellbeing Hub Café Warm Space.
Bridge Community Church (Bury St Edmunds) – Supporting older people through coffee mornings, benefits advice, food bank and social connections.
Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford and District (Eye and surrounding villages) – Targeted outreach winter energy advice and practical support for vulnerable older people.
The Elmswell (Give Hope) Food Bank (Elmswell, Woolpit and surrounding areas) – Food vouchers for vulnerable older residents.
PCC of Ingham with Ampton & Great and Little Livermere (Ingham and surrounding villages) – Providing a warm space including coffee mornings, fitness, arts and crafts and a food pantry.