MM Wealth donation launches Surviving Winter Appeal with challenge to Cambridgeshire community

Chartered financial planning firm, MM Wealth, has donated £7,500 to launch Cambridgeshire Community Foundation's Surviving Winter Appeal, challenging local people and businesses to match the amount and help reach this year's £15,000 fundraising target.

The donation provides a significant boost to the Foundation's annual winter fundraising campaign, which supports families and individuals facing fuel poverty across the county.

Donations will go directly towards helping with energy costs, such as topping up prepayment meters, covering upcoming gas and electricity bills, or paying for heating oil deliveries - offering immediate relief to households struggling to stay warm.

The need for support is significant. Over 30,000 households across Cambridgeshire are predicted to experience fuel poverty, while nationally around 8 million adults spend winter in cold, damp homes, contributing to poorer health outcomes and increased pressure on NHS services.

Cold homes can have devastating consequences. Across the UK, more than 7,000 winter deaths each year are associated with living in cold homes, highlighting the very real impact that fuel poverty can have on people's health and wellbeing.

Michael O'Toole, CEO of Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, said: "No one should have to spend winter in a cold home, yet over 30,000 households across Cambridgeshire experience fuel poverty. Behind those numbers are older residents afraid to turn on the heating, families struggling to make ends meet and vulnerable residents facing impossible choices between heating and other essentials.

The consequences extend far beyond discomfort. We know that living in cold homes affects physical and mental health and contributes to thousands of avoidable winter deaths every year.

We're incredibly grateful to MM Wealth for launching this year's appeal with a donation of £7,500. Their generosity means we're already halfway towards our £15,000 target. Now, we're inviting individuals and businesses across Cambridgeshire to help us match that contribution, so together we can make sure more local people stay warm, safe and well this winter."

Adrian Atkinson, Managing Director, MM Wealth, said: "At MM Wealth, we're passionate about supporting the communities in which we live and work. The Surviving Winter Appeal provides direct help to people across Cambridgeshire at a time when many continue to face financial pressures and rising household costs.

We hope our donation inspires others to get involved and contribute whatever they can. By working together, we can ensure more local people stay warm and supported this winter."

To donate to the Surviving Winter Appeal and help someone stay warm this winter, visit: www.cambscf.org.uk/survivingwinter