Welcome back to The Charity Show Bites - your quick-fire roundup of uplifting stories, clever ideas and community-led initiatives from across the UK charity sector.

With stormy weather rolling in and temperatures dropping, Tim and Piers explore the creative, practical and often heartwarming ways charities and local groups are helping people stay warm, connected and supported this winter. From befriending calls to warm hubs, mobile soup vans to volunteer lift schemes, this episode is full of the brilliant small ideas that make a big difference.

In this episode, we cover:

• 🔔 Age UK London — winter check-ins, home visits, phone calls and warm-space signposting to keep older Londoners safe and connected.

• 🧤 National Grid Community Matters Fund — grants for warm hubs, food provision, emergency heating support and energy efficiency workshops.

• 🥣 The Salvation Army — its annual winter appeal, including mobile support: roving soup vans, pop-up warm spaces and outreach teams distributing hot meals and thermal clothing.

• 🎄 Age UK Notts: No One Should Have No One — festive lunches, befriending visits, doorstop check-ins and hundreds of new December volunteers.

• 🧥 Health, Hearts & Hope (Kent & Medway) — the Winter Kits Appeal, providing £70 rough-sleeping packs and relaunching their hot-water-bottle scheme.

• 🏠 Places for People – Winter Ready Programme — supporting 49 local warm hubs and food banks through insulation fixes, draft-proofing and heating upgrades.

• ☕ Royal Voluntary Service — new warm-welcome sessions across the North East and South Wales, offering drinks, activities, exercise and social connection.

• 🚗 Community Transport: Warm Wheels — volunteer-driven lifts to warm hubs, lunch clubs and medical appointments in rural areas where bus routes have declined.

👉 Whether it’s a warm meal, a warm place or simply warm company, this episode shines a light on the everyday heroes helping their neighbours through winter.

Useful links:

• Age UK London – https://www.ageuk.org.uk/london

• National Grid Community Matters Fund – https://www.nationalgrid.co.uk

• The Salvation Army – https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk

• Age UK Nottingham & Nottinghamshire – https://www.ageuk.org.uk/notts

• Health, Hearts & Hope – https://www.healthheartshope.org

• Places for People – https://www.placesforpeople.co.uk

• Royal Voluntary Service – https://www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

• Community Transport Association (Warm Wheels links) – https://ctauk.org

• The Good Studio – https://www.thegoodstudio.co.uk

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