A DEVIZES café is doing its bit to raise money for a campaign to help elderly people in need survive this winter.

Sprout in St John's Street is selling hot chocolate and will donate 50p from each drink to Wiltshire Community Foundation's Surviving Winter campaign.

The organisation gives grants of £300 to people across Wiltshire in fuel poverty.

The café is owned and managed by Glen Hickey and Jess Shergold, who have been in business since December 2016. Mr Hickey said: “We are delighted to support the campaign. It’s a chance to help a cause that tackles something a lot of people don’t know about. If it gives us an opportunity to tell people about the problem and we can help then it’s a good thing.

“We sold lots of hot chocolate last year when the weather turned colder. It’s great if you don’t want to drink coffee and the children love it as well.”

Every year in Wiltshire 300 older people die of cold-related illnesses and since 2010 the Wiltshire Community Foundation has been running the campaign to help tackle the issue.

The South West has the UK’s highest rate of fuel poverty – those who cannot afford to spend the average amount needed to heat their homes. Across the region the National Office of Statistics says 11.4 per cent of homes live in fuel poverty. But the same statistics say that there are pockets of Wiltshire where up to 36 per cent of households fall into that bracket.

Parts of Swindon, west Wiltshire, villages near Devizes and around the Salisbury Plain are seen as the most vulnerable in a county that considers itself well off.

Inevitably the people who fall into this category are the elderly, low income families with small children and those suffering from physical or mental disability.

Last year the foundation raised more than £77,000 to help 403 individuals in 265 households.

WCF director of development and marketing Fiona Oliver said: “The majority of people who suffer premature winter-related death are aged over 65, and 75 per cent of these deaths are due to the impact that cold has on respiratory and circulatory conditions.

“We are so grateful to Sprout for supporting our Surviving Winter campaign, it is commendable that community-minded businesses like this are backing us.”

The cafe, which opens six days a week between 8.30am and 5pm, has become a popular place to meet and chat in the town. It prides itself on sourcing its food as locally as possible.

To find out more about Surviving Winter or to donate to the campaign go to wiltshirecf.org.uk.