THE stark choice of whether to ‘heat or eat’ is now thought to be afflicting thousands of people across the county.

But a lucky few will be spared from making that terrible decision thanks to the latest cash grant by the Surviving Winter campaign.

Latest figures from Oxfordshire County Council reveal that 28,000 families are now in fuel poverty – spending 10 per cent or more of their household income on fuel costs.

Of those, around 17,000 are ‘vulnerable households’ containing children, the elderly and/or someone with a long-term illness or disability.

And according to Jane Benyon, from Oxford’s Community Emergency Foodbank (CEF), as a result, more and more needy people are going without food to pay fuel bills.

To help combat the problem, the county’s Surviving Winter campaign and Warm Homes, Healthy People initiative, has given a grant of £2,000 to the CEF to increase its food stores.

Surviving Winter is being spearheaded by Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF) and has been asking more affluent pensioners to donate their Winter Fuel Payments to more needy people and groups.

Oxfordshire has also received money from the Department of Health to help vulnerable residents keep warm and well this winter.

The resulting Warm Homes, Healthy People initiative includes organisations including Age UK, Citizens Advice and the county council which offer grants to help some of those struggling to pay their bills.

Mrs Benyon said: “Last year was our busiest yet, helping 2,000 people, and with this cold weather, coupled with the recent changes to the benefits system, we are seeing more and more people who tell us they have to choose between paying their electricity bills and buying food.”

The CEF is five years old this year and operates from St Francis Church in Hollow Way, Oxford, twice a week.

Non-perishable food is collected from churches, schools, and other organisations and turned into ‘three-day’ parcels for people referred to the service by GPs, health visitors, CAB, clergy and community workers.

The aim is to help people through a crisis and there is a limit of three parcel collections per person/family, but numbers using the service have been rising steadily since it began.

CEF volunteer Lucinda Lewis-Crosby said: “We do not always have enough food donated to us, and have to buy more in, so this grant is like a ‘cushion’ of money.”

Jayne Woodley, from OCF, said: “Warm Homes, Healthy People and Surviving Winter have provided a wonderful example of what can be achieved when many organisations work together.”

For information about applying for grants to help pay bills and obtaining free grants for new boilers and insulation, call 0800 107 0044.