Julie's story

Julie is 41 and married with four grown up children. The youngest of nine children, she was the first person in her family to go to university and says she has always been looked up to by her siblings and family as the ‘strong one’.

Having worked as a teacher for many years, Julie gave up her job as an assistant head a few years ago. She subsequently worked as a self-employed education consultant, which gave her more flexibility to care for her family – including her son, Mark, who had just been released from prison.

Recently, Mark was murdered. This traumatic event placed an enormous strain on Julie – emotionally and  financially. Unable to work while she was grieving  the loss of her son, she incurred debts, including substantial funeral costs, mortgage arrears, and outstanding bills from Mark’s flat.

After numerous attempts to find support for her financial situation an adviser at Julie’s local Citizens Advice Bureau referred her to the Turn2us website, via the Citizens  Advice website. Having identified the Teacher Support Network as a possible grant-giving charity that met her circumstances and needs, she was able to apply to them directly using the Turn2us online enquiry and application forms.

The Teacher Support Network has helped Julie with advice about her financial situation, including Council Tax arrears and the powers that bailiffs have.  She was also awarded a grant of £1000 to help her cope with the overwhelming costs she had incurred.

Julie says. “I would definitely recommend Turn2us to other people. It was the prime source of information about the help available and it was quick and easy to use. I don’t know where I would be today or what I would have done without the support I received from the Teacher Support Network after Mark died. They gave me hope and help when I needed it.”

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