As the country braces itself for the soaring rises in the cost of heating their homes, Crowdfunder is ramping up its #DonateTheRebate campaign.
All home owners in the UK will receive at least a £400 grant this autumn, as part of the Energy Bills Support Scheme, for each property they own. Cornwall has 13,500 second homes which adds up to £5.4 million in additional payments.
Some people need this rebate more than others, so the campaign is calling on second home owners in Cornwall, in particular, to donate their energy rebates this autumn to those most in need.
Rob Love, CEO and Co-founder of Crowdfunder, said: “In times like these, we cannot just rely on governments, charities or corporations: we need a more efficient way to redistribute wealth to those who really need it.
“At Crowdfunder we see real people stepping up everyday to fill the void and bring all of this together to help each other – our #DonateTheRebate campaign represents a ‘levelling up’ for and by the people. We’re starting at home in Cornwall, before all of our welcome tourists and second home owners disappear ‘up country’ once more. Looking forward, we want this to be a template for the rest of the country; it’s a simple mechanism that gets the money to the right places.”
And local business leaders are backing the campaign.
Kim Conchie, CEO of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce and chair of Cornwall Community Foundation, said: “People shouldn’t have to choose between feeding their families or turning the heating on this winter.
“That’s why #DonateTheRebate is such an important initiative for Cornwall, where so many people are facing these difficult decisions. That’s why I’m donating the rebate from my own home to #DonateTheRebate, and I would like to encourage anyone else who can afford it, to do the same.”
If you want to #DonateTheRebate go to poor-nextdoor.com where you can donate to one of the charities listed, or pledge to donate at a later date.
