The Northern Echo backs Poverty Hurts Appeal. Photo credit Sarah Caldecott/The Northern Echo

Put in a pound and fight poverty!

This winter, The Northern Echo is asking its readers to Put in a Pound and fight poverty.

The regional of the North-East wants to raise £5,000 for the Poverty Hurts Appeal, run by County Durham Community Foundation to help people facing extreme hardship because of the cost of living crisis. 

  • Families choosing between heating and eating
  • Children without warm winter coats 
  • Pensioners afraid and alone 

What can my donation do?

  • £5 could pay for an older person to enjoy a hot meal and friendship in their local community centre so that their week is less lonely and they are less at risk of poor health
  • £10 could buy warm socks and underwear for a child without so they are comfortable enough to concentrate at school
  • £15 could provide support for a person who needs a fuel voucher and doesn’t know how to get one so that they can avoid getting into debt they can’t pay back
  • £20 could fund a festive food parcel for a family where a parent is ill or disabled, so they have a happy Christmas
  • £30 could pay for a heater to help someone in end-of-life care with a broken boiler, so that they can stay warm until a repair is arranged

About the Poverty Hurts Appeal ’22

Poverty is becoming a harsh reality for more and more families and individuals across County Durham. The North-East region now has the highest rate of child poverty anywhere in the UK, limiting the hopes and opportunities of thousands across the county who have so much to offer. Action is urgently needed.

The time to fight poverty in County Durham is now. There are almost 32,000 local children and young people being hurt by poverty in all its forms.

  • 38% of children in the region now live below the poverty line
  • 55% of UK households will be in fuel poverty by January, forecasts suggest
  • Food support services say requests for food that does not need to be cooked have risen by 50%

It’s not often your pound can go further these days, but great news: the Foundation will match fund donations from Echo readers with 50p for each £1 given, up to a fundraised total of £100k. This is possible thanks to generous donations from existing supporters who want to encourage giving to the Poverty Hurts Appeal. 

About County Durham Community Foundation

County Durham Community Foundation works with local communities to fund projects that fight poverty and enrich lives. In the past five years the Foundation has awarded £19million in small grants to small, but vital, local charities and groups. On November 30th, the Foundation gave out £400,000 in grants, one of its highest ever payment runs, to meet local need.

Founded 27 years ago, the Foundation connects people who love to give with local causes that really matter.  

The Foundation is a charity registered with the Fundraising Regulator and abiding by the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Victoria House, Whitfield Court, St John’s Road, Meadowfield Industrial Estate, Durham, DH7 8XL

Call 0191 378 6340 Registered Charity No. 1047625