Up to 50,000 older people in Hertfordshire spend every day without talking to someone.

Small Acts of Kindness are delivering ‘Warm in winter’ bags to help stop older people getting cold in their homes, raise awareness and create opportunities to build new social connections in the local community.

Hertfordshire-based charity, Small Acts of Kindness aims to reduce loneliness and isolation for older people. Each year, thousands of ‘Warm in winter’ bags containing blankets, hats, gloves, a mug, hot drinks and soup are distributed in winter. This year the charity has received an additional donation of £2,500 from the CareTech Foundation which will provide for an extra 100 of the bags.

Lynne Misner, CEO of Small Acts of Kindness, said:

We are absolutely delighted to receive this funding which will go directly to help older people in our community keep warm this winter. The Small Acts of Kindness Team and Trustees extend a huge thank you to the CareTech Foundation for their support of our work and for connecting communities with kindness.

To date, the scheme has helped 16,500 older people to keep the cold away in winter, in many cases allowing recipients to avoid having to make the unimaginably difficult choice between eating and heating their homes.

Demand for the service has soared in recent years. In 2014, 50 bags were delivered to older people in Hertfordshire, last year the organisation distributed 6,500. Keeping warm in winter is not only about comfort; older people who are cold in their home are more likely to have higher blood pressure, leading to an increased risk of suffering heart attacks, strokes and falls.

Image credit: Small Acts of Kindness