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Bids invited for
Hope Fund cash
APPLICATIONS are being
invited for bids from the Mayor’s Hope Fund; a new charity
established by Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson for poverty relief.
More than £30,000 has so far been raised for the charity, and now
any organisation, large or small - that provides foodbank services
in Liverpool is able to apply for grants.
The Mayor’s Hope Fund will identify specific projects to implement,
enhance and grow the level of service that that each foodbank can
provide. Examples could include creating storage space and
distribution Centres, recruit and train volunteer and collect and
deliver food.
Mayor Joe Anderson said:- “We have had a great response to the
Mayor’s Hope Fund and are now in a position to start delivering
funds to those organisations that deliver such a valuable service.
It’s great so many people have helped already to raise money.
These are tough times for people due to the austerity measures and
demand for our foodbanks is rising.
Every penny will enable foodbanks to invest in their infrastructure
to meet the increasing need for their services and support the work
of their volunteers who work so hard.”
There has been an 88% rise in the number of people being fed by
Foodbanks compared to the same time last year.
Application forms can be downloaded at:-
liverpool.gov.uk.
People wanting to donate to the Mayor’s Hope Fund can do so in the
following ways:-
TEXT... Either £1, £2, £3, £4, £5
or £10. Text LMHF14 followed by the amount to 70070. So, to donate
£1, text LMHF14 £1 to 70070
ONLINE...
justgiving.com.
For more information about The Mayor’s Hope Fund, visit:-
themayorshopefund.org.uk.
CHRISTMAS DRINK
AND DRUG DRIVING CAMPAIGN RESULTS
MERSEYSIDE Police is once
again pleased to report that more than 97 % of motorists on
Merseyside drove responsibly during the Christmas and New Year
period.
During this year's seasonal campaign, that ran from 1 December until
31 December 2013, officers carried out 9152 breath tests and
subsequently arrested 198 people for drink or drug driving related
offences.
Chief Inspector John Hogan said:- "We know that the majority
of drivers on our roads drive responsibly and these results show
that drivers are recognising the risk that driving while under the
influence poses to themselves and other road users. Of the 9152
drivers stopped, just 2.6% went on to fail the test and were
arrested. However small this percentage is, it is still
disappointing that a minority of drivers continue to put themselves
and others at risk by drinking or taking drugs and driving. Our
message goes beyond Christmas; don't drink or take drugs and drive.
Throughout 2014, we will continue to use an intelligence-led
approach to stop drink drivers by using information provided by the
public and targeting key locations and key times of the day and
night. We are determined to do all we can to make our roads
safer and I urge drivers to continue to play their part by not drink
or drug driving." Figures also show that during the Christmas period, there was a fall
in road traffic collisions with 425 incidents in 2012 compared with
398 this year, a reduction of 6.3%.
Although Merseyside Police holds dedicated drink and drug drive
campaigns at key times, Officers' conduct breath and impairment
tests continually throughout the year.
Any driver involved in a road traffic collision, or who commits any
Traffic Offences, can expect to be breathalysed and may be required
to perform an impairment test. Should they fail these tests the
penalties can be severe. |
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RESEARCH REVEALS
IMPACT OF RISING ENERGY COSTS ON WELLBEING OF HOUSEHOLDS
A new survey commissioned
by the charity Turn2us has found that, in the face of rising energy
costs, a staggering 87% of people in the North West of England are
worried about paying their energy bills this winter. The impact this
is having on people’s lives is severe, with people experiencing
stress and ill health as they struggle with the growing gap between
the costs of their bills and what they can afford to pay.
The survey, released to coincide with Turn2us’ fuel poverty
campaign, has found that 64% of households in the North West that
struggled with their energy bills last winter experiencing stress as
a result.
With the average annual shortfall between energy bills and what
people can afford to pay increasing by almost £200 to £438 over the
last 10 years, people are resorting to extreme measures to pay their
bills. 53% would risk endangering their health and wellbeing by not
using heating in their homes, while 33% had to rely on the financial
support of family and friends to cover their energy bills.
The research found that people in the North West are cutting back on
food and turning off their heating rather than checking what support
is available to help manage their energy bills. Despite the grants
and schemes offered by many energy companies, 52% of people are not
aware that this help exists. In addition, a huge 72% of respondents
would not consider checking their entitlement to welfare benefits to
help with these costs and only 6% would consider checking for
support in the form of charitable grants.
In response to these ongoing problems, Turn2us’ 3rd annual fuel
poverty campaign is focusing on the growing gap between household
incomes and the cost of energy bills, and highlighting the support
available to those struggling with their energy bills. The campaign,
‘Mind the Gap’, features 6 steps, using Turn2us’ free tools
and information to help people increase their household income and
manage their energy costs. These include checking welfare benefits
entitlement, searching for grants and schemes to help with bills,
getting help to improve energy efficiency and checking energy
tariffs. A dedicated ‘Mind the Gap’ section of the Turn2us website
has been created at:-
turn2us.org.uk/fuelpoverty.
Alison Taylor, Director of Turn2us said:- “Turn2us launches
its winter fuel poverty campaign with the news that more people are
worried about finding the money to pay for their energy bills. With
the cost of living steadily increasing, people feel like they have
no option, but to borrow money and cut back on essentials to cover
costs. Our research shows that more needs to be done to help raise
awareness of the financial support and help available to manage
energy bills.
With our ‘Mind the Gap’ campaign we have brought together a number
of free Turn2us tools and information all in one place to help
people in financial need maximise their income and manage their
energy costs."
The campaign is being supported by a number of charities and
organisations across the UK, to help increase awareness of the
support available to those affected by fuel poverty.
‘Mind the Gap’ runs until 15 February 2014.
For more information
about the campaign, please visit:-
turn2us.org.uk/fuelpoverty
or
turn2us.org.uk.
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