Essex: Help For Elderly During Cold Snap

With large parts of Essex hit by snow Heart's been finding out what help is out there for elderly people.

The Surviving Winter Campaign is an appeal set up by Age UK Essex, Essex Community Foundation and British Red Cross to bring help to people at risk during the worst of the winter weather.

400 food packs are being prepared by the Chelmsford Star Cooperative Society, which will be sent out to homes across the county this week.

Vanessa Howard, who is the Marketing Manager there, has been telling Heart what they involve: 'We've got things such as porridge oats and milk, we've got enough to make up brief meals such as tinned carrots and peas. We've got soup, we've got dried pasta and we've got puddings aswel."

As well as the food packs, those over 50 are also able to register to receive a warm pack, which contains a fleece, a hot water bottle and a flask.

Age UK Essex is also able to provide electric heaters as well as help and advice.

Andrew Gardner is the Chief Executive at Age UK Essex. He says people over a certain age are often uncertain about going out in this weather: "If you fall and you break something you are off to hospital. And there are stories that scare people about some of the after effects and the fact that people can be in hospital for months and when they do come out and they have a recurrence of some of these injuries."

Andrew continues: "This partnership brings together three organisations that each have a particular expertise. Together they can have a greater impact than they can separately."

For more information on Essex Community Foundation click here.

For more on Age UK Essex click here.

There is more on British Red Cross here.