Mary's story

“I like the fact that you can talk about your situation to a real person on the helpline as well as using the resources on the website.”

Mary, who recently celebrated her sixtieth birthday, is a retired teacher who has taught in a variety of schools. In 1996, she suffered a mental breakdown and subsequently lost her job when she was forced to take early retirement on health grounds. She then began to accrue significant debts.

Mary discovered Turn2us at the end of 2008, when she received a heating bill for £600 that she was unable to pay. She had applied to a couple of grant-giving charities, including one that she had received help from in the past, but was unsuccessful. One of these charities put her in touch with Turn2us.

Mary was able to secure two grants as a result of speaking to someone on the helpline and making an online application using the website. She received £100 from the College & University Support Network, which supports people working in adult, further or higher education and their dependants. She also received £500 from the Collier Charitable Trust, which supports retired Christian missionaries and teachers in the UK and overseas.

“Getting the money to pay this bill meant I didn’t have to worry about putting the heating on this winter,” she says. “What I like about Turn2us’s services is that they offer you a way of accessing information on a wide range of possible charities that might be able to help you. I also like the fact that you can talk about your situation to a real person on the helpline as well as using the resources on the website.”

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