A winter campaign aimed at keeping the elderly and vulnerable warm and cared for has surpassed it's £10,000 milestone in public donations alone.

Norwich Evening News: The Surviving Winter campaign is run by the Norfolk Community Foundation and backed by the EDP and Norwich Evening NewsThe Surviving Winter campaign is run by the Norfolk Community Foundation and backed by the EDP and Norwich Evening News (Image: Norfolk Community Foundation)

Just after two weeks since launching, the campaign reached £10,785 in public donations on Monday, December 3.

The campaign, run by Norfolk community Foundation and backed by the Eastern Daily Press and Norwich Evening News, is aiming to raise £150,000 to tackle fuel poverty and isolation for those who struggle the most between now and the spring.

Claire Cullens, Norfolk Community Foundation chief executive, said: 'We're delighted that people have rallied round and have supported the Surviving Winter Appeal so far; however, this is just the beginning.

'To ensure that local charities can provide essential support to some of the most vulnerable in Norfolk from right now through to spring, we still need urgent help from local people and businesses. Every donation makes a real difference.'

Surviving Winter reached a third of it's target within a week of launching in November, after it received £50,000 from housing developers Hopkins Homes.

The campaign is urging older people who do not need their winter fuel allowance to donate it to those who desperately do, as many are faced with choosing between paying the bills and putting food on the table.Every year, more people die in winter than in summer, due to colder temperatures, respiratory diseases and outbreaks of flu.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed there were around 590 excess winter deaths in Norfolk during the winter of 2016/17.Rural areas like Norfolk experience high rates of excess winter deaths as homes tend to be older with poorer insulation and so are more difficult to keep warm.

Funds raised in the appeal will be distributed to a range of good causes across Norfolk, including the foundation trust's key partners Age UK Norfolk, Norwich Foodbank and homeless charity St Martins Housing Trust. To donate, Visit the Surviving Winter appeal donation page at www.norfolkfoundation.com/news-events/launch-of-the-surviving-winter-appeal or call Norfolk Community Foundation on 01603 623 958.

You can donate by cheque made payable to Norfolk Community Foundation and send it to Norfolk Community Foundation, St James Mill, Whitefriars, Norwich, NR3 1TN.