WEST Somerset has the highest level of fuel poverty in the county and the number of deaths caused by the cold is 70 per cent higher than the English average.

But people in a better position are able to help by supporting the Somerset Community Foundation's Surviving Winter campaign.

They are asked to donate their winter fuel payment to the campaign for people who need it and to the charities that support them at their most vulnerable time.

The campaign was devised and piloted in the county after a West Somerset resident offered to donate his payment to the SCF in 2010.

Last year it became a national, award-winning campaign raising £2.5 million across the UK.

So far, 250 people have donated or pledged their Winter Fuel Payment but the SCF is looking for more support to meet a growing demand for help - it already has applications totalling £20,000.

Just over 12,000 people in West Somerset receive the payment from the Government. If just two per cent of recipients donated, £36,000 would be raised towards the Surviving Winter appeal.

SCF has awarded £15,000 to Forum 21 which will help around 90 pensioners with immediate hardship and many other work towards a more sustainable future.

According to data released in 2011 from the Public Health Observatory (PHO), a staggering 31.7 per cent of households in West Somerset - the most rural district in the county - are suffering in fuel poverty. The national average is 8.5 per cent.

The district also has the highest proportion of elderly people in England - an estimated 32.1 per cent are at retirement age.

Many of the pensioners are on fixed incomes and less likely to afford heating bill price hikes.

And 76 per cent of isolated dwellings in West Somerset are without access to cost-effective gas and have to rely on expensive fuels like oil, electricity and LPG.

Their situation is partly due to being in a remote area but it is also caused by the poor energy efficiency of the solid stone walls of their properties.

There are strong links between fuel poverty and health and well-being.

Over the last two years, the NHS estimated that 400 people died due to the cold weather in Somerset alone.

While all countries experience a peak of mortality during the winter, the UK has a significantly higher winter death rates than many other countries in Europe.

And, according to the PHO, "excess winter deaths" were 70 per cent higher in West Somerset than the average for England between 2006 and 2009.

For each winter-related death in West Somerset, dozens more suffer with serious medical conditions that are exacerbated by the cold weather - simply because they cannot afford to keep warm.

In order to save money, many households ration their fuel in winter and turn their heating down or even off. Some even go without food to pay for their fuel.

"Staying warm and having sufficient to eat are not luxuries. They the most basic essential requirements for staying alive and well," said Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) chief executive Justin Sargent.

"Approximately ten per cent of households are occupied by older people living in fuel poverty.

"Many are at risk from serious cold-related health problems including heart attacks and strokes while others respond to cold weather by becoming withdrawn and isolated."

For the second year running, the SCF is working with West Somerset's Forum 21 to administer Surviving Winter funds.

Forum 21 makes home visits with advice on energy and improving fuel efficiency and recently met an elderly woman living on her own in a very isolated rural area. Her cottage is poorly insulated and heated by a faulty heating system and an old stove that is run off oil. An LPG portable heater is her main heat source and very expensive.

A Surviving Winter grant will help her meet some immediate fuel costs and Forum 21 will work with her to improve her heating system to reduce costs in the long-term.

Lorna Scott, of Forum 21, said: "Although still quite able, this woman suffers from arthritis, a condition that is worsened by the cold conditions of her home.

"The location of her home isolates her and in the winter she is hampered by poor conditions when getting about. The inadequate stove also makes cooking food a difficult process."

In addition to helping Forum 21, the Foundation would like to boost services such as lunch clubs, community transport and support groups for the vulnerable.

Donations can be made online via http://www.somersetcf.org.uk">www.somersetcf.org.uk or by cheque, payable to Somerset Community Foundation, postd to Yeoman House, Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet BA4 6QN.