How Surviving Winter stopped Joyce's worries

At 81, Joyce dreads every winter and goes without food just to make sure she’s able to keep her home heated. She told us how a Surviving Winter grant meant she didn’t need to choose between food in her cupboards or a warm home. 

“Every winter I struggle to pay the increased heating bills. I dread winter. I have poor circulation, brought on by Raynaud’s Disease, and it’s just so difficult to get warm. My fingers and toes are never warm, even in the summer. In the winter they go nearly black with the cold. I need to make sure my little two-bedroom bungalow is heated in the winter, so I go without other things instead. I won’t go out, or I cut down on food. I’ll go to the supermarket in the evenings when I know the food is sometimes reduced.  

The money I got from the Surviving Winter grant stopped all my worry. It was such a great help and for me it meant a winter without stress for once. It meant I didn’t have to go without food and I could afford to pay my heating bill.”