A CAMPAIGN has been launched urging people to give the cost of a coffee and sandwich to help keep Bradford’s children warm this winter.

Bradford Council has started the ‘No Child Cold’ campaign, urging businesses, community and faith groups, and individuals to pledge donations to help families struggling financially.

With the double-whammy of many people working from home, and schools being closed and children having to work remotely, many families are facing higher energy bills.

This has been exasperated by the bitterly cold spell which has been over the district since the start of the month, with daytime temperatures regularly staying below freezing.

Bradford Council said around 75,000 children in the district are now doing online learning from home, with almost a third of these children coming from homes where the cost of extra heating is challenging and many of these children may spend the day in the cold.

Families have been impacted by the pandemic through working from home, as well as the reduced income of furlough or reduced hours; many have also been made unemployed by Covid-19 and are now relying on benefits.

Bradford Council is now asking businesses, groups and residents to step forward and back the pledge that no child will be cold in the district due to lockdown.

For £21, someone can cover the additional heating costs for a family to keep children warm while they learn remotely, the cost of a meal deal or a takeaway coffee per day.

Some businesses, faith groups and individuals have already stepped up to the plate to support families in need, and more are being encouraged to do the same.

One of the firms leading from the front is Bradford-based Yorkshire Building Society, which has pledged £10,000 to the campaign, which will help fund 476 weeks of additional heating costs for families and children in need.

Give Bradford, the grant distribution body, is helping be receiving and procession donations from businesses and groups to go towards the campaign.

Bradford Council is also working to source warm clothing to help children avoid being cold during the winter

The campaign is being run between Bradford Council and Citizens’ Advice. Families who qualify for the support will be referred to get support through the campaign by schools and the voluntary sector, with forms being sent out to the schools and also to food banks and other groups.

Families eligible will receive a one-off payment of £80 to cover additional heating costs, and the campaign is running until March 31.

Businesses, community or faith groups, and individuals who would like to contribute to the No Child Cold campaign should click here to donate.