Industry Charity NewstrAid asks supporters to ‘Wear, Share and Care’ on Woolly Wednesday (30 October) to help those struggling with energy bills.

NewstrAid will be promoting its annual initiative ‘Woolly Wednesday’ on 30^th October to raise awareness about how the charity can help those struggling to stay warm and cover their energy bills this winter.

This year’s campaign asks those supporting the initiative to do at least one of the following on Oct 30th:

1. Wear your woollies.
2. Share, like or comment on NewstrAid’s Woolly Wednesday social media posts.
3. Care by entering NewstrAid’s winter raffle and raising funds for their work.

CEO for NewstrAid, Neil Jagger, said: “Every Autumn we run a Woolly Wednesday campaign to highlight how we can help people stay warm over the winter months. The cost of living crisis may not be as prevalent in the news now, but this year we have received the same level of requests for help as we did in 2023, which was a record year for enquiries. On top of this, more than 100 of our regular beneficiaries have been affected by the changes to the Government’s winter fuel payment so we know that our support is needed now more than ever.”

Each year Woolly Wednesday coincides with the distribution of NewstrAid’s Winter Comfort grant which provides around 400 of the charity’s beneficiaries with a small financial boost to help them stay warm during the colder months. In addition, the charity can provide small grants and practical advice to anyone from the newstrade who is finding it difficult to cope during the colder weather.

NewstrAid is also part of the Lightning Reach ‘Winter Warmth Network’ which unites local government, housing associations, charities, energy companies etc to work together against fuel poverty and support vulnerable individuals and families to find holistic financial support this winter.

Neil Jagger added: “We know we can rely on the fantastic newspaper and magazine industry to help us raise awareness and support NewstrAid on October 30th by wearing their woollies, sharing, liking or commenting on our social posts and also entering our Winter Raffle to raise some money for those in need.”

You can follow NewstrAid on social media as follows: Facebook: @NewstrAid.benevolentfund LinkedIN: NewstraidBenevolentFund Instagram: @newstraid_ Twitter: @NewstrAid

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For Media information contact: Lindsay Rule; lindsay@newstraid.org.uk

About NewstrAid 

NewstrAid is a charity which aims to provide welfare for people who are, or have been, employed in the selling and distribution of newspapers and magazines in the UK and who find themselves in hardship. This includes their immediate family and dependants who are in need or in distress. The charity has been in existence since 1839 and counts Charles Dickens amongst its past presidents. 2024 marks NewstrAid’s 185^th anniversary and in 2023 the charity was named ‘Charity of the Year’ at the ACO Awards.  www.newstraid.org.uk

About the Winter Warmth Network

As winter approaches, countless individuals will be anxiously anticipating the burden of their winter bills. 6 million UK households are in fuel poverty, struggling to afford even basic energy costs. This is where Lightning Reach’s Winter Warmth Network steps in. By uniting the vast community of support organisations and professionals with the people who need help the most so that this winter, everyone gets the right support at the right time.

https://www.lightningreach.org/winter-warmth-network