Viola’s story

When pensioner Viola’s fridge freezer broke, she struggled to eat properly with her limited budget.

xr:d:DAF0Ob5Mom0:37,j:8185716779569353355,t:24041018

Viola struggled to have healthy meals when her fridge freezer broke

Viola lives alone in a council tenancy and receives state retirement pension and pension credit.

Viola tries to be as independent as possible and relies on bulk cooking to save time and to help her make ends meet. However, when her fridge freezer – which she relied so heavily on – stopped working, this meant she was struggling to eat healthily and sufficiently on her limited budget. She had no money to be able to afford a new one without getting into debt she wouldn’t be able to repay.

Viola was referred to us for help and we were able to untap the funds needed to buy her a replacement and deliver this to her – helping her to once again eat nutritious meals to aid her health and wellbeing.

"It’s fantastic to see all the ways the community comes together to improve the lives of people in need. From undertaking challenges, to dress-up days, quizzes, raffles and cake-bakes, to donating, setting up a regular gift, volunteering or spreading the word, it all helps to ensure people living in hardship are warm, safe and fed and have the basics in life that we all deserve."

Maryann’s story

Maryann is a mother of two who was forced to flee her homeland due to political unrest. After a challenging time, Maryann was recently granted leave to remain in the UK – a moment of relief and hope for a…

Read More

Amy’s story

Amy is a single mum to two young boys. On a low income, the family can only afford a small one-bedroom rented flat and there is no space for three separate beds. This meant that one child was sleeping on…

Read More

Mag’s story

Mag is a single mother who left her homeland for safety issues and has been granted Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK with her young daughter.  Mag is receiving support to help her overcome previous traumas and hopes to…

Read More

Ruby’s story

Ruby is a single parent with four young children. Due to cost-of-living increases, Ruby was struggling to make ends meet on her limited income. Then, at around the same time, both her washing machine and fridge freezer stopped working properly.…

Read More

Michael’s story

Michael was recently referred to us by his Tenancy Support Officer. He’d faced a number of challenges which had left him in financial hardship and in desperate need of our help. Michael worked but juggled a low income, with constant…

Read More

Leo’s story

Leo’s life completely changed when his long-term partner passed away after a long illness. The couple had been living in an adapted bungalow and Leo was the primary carer for his partner. When she died, he was rehoused into his…

Read More

Paige’s story

After years of domestic violence, Paige escaped with her young son, Adam. This meant leaving their home and most of their belongings behind. Adam is highly traumatised by what he has witnessed and Paige is also getting support for her…

Read More

Hali’s story

Hali has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Over recent months she has struggled to cope due to the health difficulties and emotional impact this has caused. Due to her illness, Hali has had to give up supply teaching and this…

Read More

Sayna’s story

Relying on Universal Credit and Child Benefit has been a struggle, compounded by thedamp and mould issues experienced in the flat they’ve moved to, which hascaused damage to some of the few possessions they’d managed to take withthem. Sayna and…

Read More

Ian’s story

Ian suffers from a number of mental health conditions. He has also been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. His situation has been made even harder due to financial challenges.  Relying on Universal Credit payments, when his…

Read More