The Independent & Evening Standard focus on cost-of-living crisis with Christmas appeal
Melanie May | 23 November 2022 | News
The Independent and the Evening Standard have launched their joint Christmas appeal with a focus on the cost-of-living crisis. On The Breadline will support those worst affected by working with Comic Relief to fund community projects across the country.
Public figures, including Sir Lenny Henry, are supporting the appeal, which launched yesterday and will run for five weeks. Comic Relief has marked the launch of On The Breadline with a £1mn pledge.
A number of high-profile backers will visit the community projects working to support people through the cost-of-living crisis, to help raise awareness of the desperate situation millions will face this winter and of these initiatives to provide relief.
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The campaign aims to get tangible relief to those who need it as quickly as possible:
- £10 could help feed a family of three for a week
- £20 could help buy a winter kit containing a blanket, hat, scarf and gloves
- £75 could help provide a slow cooker, recipes and cooking sessions for a family
- £100 could help provide an emergency shopping voucher for a family struggling with cost of living
rises
People can donate to On The Breadline by visiting the Comic Relief campaign page. They can also show
support by tweeting the hashtag #onthebreadline.
David Cohen, Campaigns Editor of The Independent and Evening Standard said:
“Over the past couple of months, our team of writers has been interviewing people around the country struggling with the cost of living crisis. We thought we knew how rising prices were impacting people, but what we have come across is deeply harrowing. They include cases of:
● Families sitting in the dark and cold at night, swathed in coats and blankets and too afraid to turn
on the lights or heating for fear of unaffordable bills
● A mother putting her baby to sleep in an open drawer because she cannot afford a cot
● Toddlers wearing soiled nappies all day because their parents ration them
● Mothers with no recourse to public funds feeding children on £10 a day and running out of food
● People with dental problems unable to get NHS treatment and living with toothache
For families on the breadline, this is a terrifying moment. That is why we are launching On the Breadline to support and ease the pressure on our fellow citizens most affected by the cost of living crisis.”
Samir Patel, CEO of Comic Relief, said:
“This winter is going to be frighteningly tough for people up and down the country as the cost of living crisis pushes millions to breaking point. Millions face going hungry and without basic necessities, and pressure is mounting from all angles. As this national emergency intensifies, people need our help now. We are hugely grateful for this opportunity with the Evening Standard and The Independent to launch a cost of living appeal and raise urgent funds this winter. From supporting foodbanks to providing warm clothing and energy top up cards, this campaign will deliver a lifeline and ease the pressure for people facing the toughest times of their lives.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.