THIS Christmas season, National Grid is supporting Crediton Foodbank with a donation of £1,000 from its Community Matters Fund.

As part of its commitment to support vulnerable customers in the communities it serves, the electricity distributor asked local MPs and teams based at its local depots to nominate charities and worthy causes to receive donations over the winter period.

The special Christmas fund of £500,000 is part of a package of measures being rolled out by National Grid’s distribution business to support grassroots community groups in their vital work with vulnerable customers.

It follows a record £2.5 million package of fuel poverty grants already awarded by the distributor to charities and community groups to help tackle fuel poverty this winter.

In all, around £3 million will be allocated across its regions to tackle the most pressing issues affecting communities during the colder months, including fuel poverty, loneliness and isolation and support for vulnerable people.

Crediton Foodbank was nominated by local MP Mel Stride and will use the funds to help local people escape financial hardship.

Lewis Eden, a trustee of Crediton Foodbank, said: “Thanks to the generous support from the National Grid, we are able to provide support to our clients in helping them to break out of the cycle of poverty. It will have a huge impact on individuals and families in our community as well as the wider community.”

Alison Sleightholm, Regulation and Corporate Director at National Grid, said: “It’s vital that we work with the people who know their communities best, to support vulnerable customers in the regions we serve.

"Working closely with local MPs, we have been able to identify and help a range of hard-working grassroots organisations which promise to make a real difference to communities over the holiday season.

"Our donation is part of a significant investment we’re making this winter to support our most vulnerable customers.

"Through our Community Matters Fund, we’re able to empower a wide range of worthwhile projects to have an impact in their local areas over the colder months and beyond.”

The Community Matters Fund is part of National Grid’s distribution Business Plan pledge to support vulnerable customers. This includes a commitment to support 113,000 customers to make energy savings of £60 million over five years and to extend the reach of its Priority Services Register, which provides tailored support to vulnerable customers.

National Grid operates the electricity transmission network in England and Wales and is the distribution network operator for the Midlands, South West England and South Wales.

The distribution network is responsible for delivering electricity to eight million customers and National Grid is committed to investing around £1 billion on its distribution network annually. 

National Grid is not an electricity supply company and does not bill customers in the UK. Its responsibility is to distribute electricity to homes and businesses.

The distribution element makes up around 10 per cent of an average customer’s annual bill which is around £100 or 27p a day.  

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