Interesting item on my local news website relating to the Gloucester foodbank (our church is a supporter).
It has helped feed thousands of people but now Gloucester Foodbank will be working with families to tackle fuel poverty as well.
The organisation, which is based in The George Whitefield Centre, has been chosen as one of three to take part in a fuelbank trial to help people who can't afford to pay their bills.
The three-month project will operate out of existing foodbanks, with struggling households receiving a ÂĢ49 credit â which could be enough to keep the lights and heating on for up to two weeks.
As with foodbanks, Citizens' Advice centres, GPs, social workers and the police will help identify people who might be in need. A maximum of three vouchers can be given out per crisis.
Gloucester Foodbank manager Anneliese Sterry said the pilot was due to begin in the city in a few weeks.
"We are always quite busy and one of the things we are realising is that more and more people seem to be struggling to pay their fuel bills.
"One of our standard questions now is whether or not people have enough money for their bills?"
It is such a common occurrence that the foodbank provides a cold food pack for those people who are unable to pay for gas and electricity and therefore unable to cook food.
"In these instances we give them things which can be eaten cold such as sweetcorn, cereal and cold, tinned meat," added Ms Sterry.
Energy supplier npower is responsible for the scheme which has been launched specifically to address the problem of households who 'self-disconnect' to save money.
Research conducted by Citizens' Advice found that one in every six homes that use a prepayment meter has self-disconnected, meaning up to 1.62 million people go without electricity or gas each year.
According to Fuel Bank project manager Matthew Cole, Gloucester was chosen as one of the pilot schemes because of its unique mixture of rural and urban users.
"Most people think foodbanks are mainly used by people who live in city areas but it is becoming more and more of a countryside phenomenon.
"This new trial with foodbanks could be an important breakthrough. It will provide immediate and hassle-free support to households where often the choice is between food or warmth."
The scheme is being run in partnership with leading poverty charities the Trussell Trust, National Energy Action and Durham Christian Partnership.
David McAuley, chief executive of the Trussell Trust, said: "In many cases people coming to foodbanks can be facing financial hardship that leaves them both hungry and in fuel poverty.
"By providing npower Fuel Bank vouchers at foodbanks, we can make sure that people who are most vulnerable are not only given three days of food, but can turn on the energy supply to cook it and heat their homes too."
I posted this rather than a link as the article continues with some comments by the Gloucester parliamentary candidates about foodbanks. Although I live on the outskirts of Gloucester, my area is treated as Tewkesbury for the general election.
He has the cutest smile, they have bought him a bouncy chair as he gets grouchy if he can't see what's going on and his mum posted a pic on FB of him giving his daddy a smile that would melt the hardest heart.
It's strange that you found those jaffa spheres too sickly and I don't, but the other way round for lemon meringue pie.
, I hope the root canal work isn't too ghastly