N E W S R E L E A S E
The BIG Bolton Fund launches The BIG Heat Campaign this Winter!
November 2010 - The BIG Bolton Fund will encourage people who automatically receive their Winter Fuel Payment, and feel that they don’t personally need the money, to donate the payment, or part of it, to the Fund so that it can be made available to local community groups in Bolton to support the town’s most vulnerable people.
There are over 40,000 people aged 65 or over in Bolton of which over 10,000 are aged 80+. This year's Winter Fuel Payment is a universal payment which will not be means-tested, but paid automatically to all eligible older people, in most cases in November. The value of the payment varies, depending on the age and circumstances of the recipient, but will be as much as £400 per person in the winter of 2010/11.
The BIG Bolton Fund was set up in December 2007 and in the last year alone has made available over half a million pounds to local community groups working in all parts of Bolton.
When money is donated to The BIG Bolton Fund by private individuals, we will – where possible – also claim the Gift aid on the donation so increasing its value by 28% and we can also match the donation pound for pound with match-funding received from the Office of Civil Society so a Winter Fuel Payment of £125.00 can be worth up to £320.00 to The BIG Bolton Fund to help local community groups supporting vulnerable people.
"We know that there are many vulnerable people in Bolton who absolutely rely on their Winter Fuel Payments to keep warm in the winter months," says Karen Minnitt, Chief Executive of Bolton Community & Voluntary Services (CVS) who manage The BIG Bolton Fund, "but there may also be many people in Bolton who think that the Winter Fuel Payment, which they receive automatically, is a luxury which could be more valuable to support others within the community. By launching The Big Heat campaign, we're creating a unique way for local people to help others this winter and for many years to come. It would be a very special way of giving a BIG Christmas present to community groups in Bolton so that they can continue to help the people of Bolton in the future."
Anybody wishing to donate to the Fund should contact Marissa Hankinson, fundraiser for The BIG Bolton Fund on 07977 170422 or visit www.boltoncvs.org.uk.
Alternatively, a donation form can be downloaded from the website, printed off and sent with a cheque payable to Bolton CVS – The BIG Bolton Fund, The Bolton Hub, Bold Street, Bolton, BL1 1LS. Please mark your envelope ‘The BIG Heat Campaign’.
Any group wishing to apply for a grant from The BIG Bolton Fund, should also contact Bolton CVS on 01204 546010.
