A historic charity dating back to Tudor times is supporting an innovative scheme to help vulnerable people across Birmingham stay warm and safe during the winter months.
Ancient Charity Meets Modern Need
The Sutton Coldfield Charitable Trust, which will soon celebrate its remarkable 500th birthday, has awarded a £4,995 grant to the Birmingham Community Healthcare Charity's winter support bags programme. This initiative has been running since 2022 and delivers essential items to those most at risk during cold weather.
Angela Corry, Charity Campaign Manager for BCHC, explained how the project emerged from the cost of living crisis declared by Birmingham City Council in 2022. "We realised there was a real need for this project," she said. "Since then, we've created around 2,000 bags thanks to charitable funding."
District Nurses Identify Critical Need
The scheme's inspiration came directly from frontline healthcare workers. District nurses reported that patients were so worried about finances they weren't turning on heating or were only heating one room.
With 500 district nurses across Birmingham conducting 69,000 patient contacts monthly, the scale of need became apparent. Nurses stationed in Boldmere, Walmley and James Preston Health Centre shared concerning stories from across the city.
"Some nurses told us they were having to buy food for patients who had none," Angela revealed. "Others talked about sedentary patients getting very cold because they couldn't move around - a bigger problem now with rising heating costs."
Essential Support Preventing Crises
The winter support bags contain carefully selected items to address both practical and emotional needs:
- Warm clothing including hats and scarves
- A fleecy hot water bottle and blanket
- A flask with soup and chocolate
- Colouring books and pens for mindfulness
Clare Haines, Grants Manager at SCCT, emphasised the project's preventative approach. "This means vulnerable people are identified early rather than waiting for them to reach crisis points," she said. "It also helps reduce hospital admissions by introducing support at an early stage."
"The winter support bags can make such a difference to people who might be very isolated," Clare added. "Just those few items can make a massive change."
These are the first bags supported by the Trust, which traditionally provides almshouses in the Royal Town and distributes annual grants exceeding £1 million.
Angela expressed gratitude for both the funding and the volunteers who make the project possible. "We get to see the impact our support bags have, and we've had so much positive feedback," she said. "We're really proud of the difference we've made."
