Friendship Calls Participant – Martha

Our volunteer Fiona spoke to Martha today a week after she was referred to Karen from RotherFed’s Making Our Money Go Further Project. Martha was over the moon with all the help Rotherfed had been able to offer her. Last week she was referred to MOMGF after she disclosed during a friendship call that she was really worried about her finances and the rising cost of living. She was in a real anxious state. Karen called her promptly and was able to offer some help and also referred her on to Citizens Advice who have helped to get her money situation under control, this was all done in just 3 days. She is now due a large council tax rebate and her gas and electric bills have been lowered.

When Fiona rang her today, she informed me of everything that Karen and Anne from citizen’s advice have done for her, she was so happy with everything we have done to help her, she said a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders and she’s now in a position where she isn’t scared of using her gas and electric anymore. She stated that the volunteer was a “god send” and couldn’t imagine where she would have turned if it wasn’t for the calls.

She said, “if my knees and elbows were up to it I would be doing cartwheels up and down the street”.

Our volunteer reported that Martha spent over half an hour on the phone singing everyone’s praises saying if our volunteer hadn’t suggested referring her to the Money Management team then she would be in an awful situation with her money and wondering how she would make ends meet. Now she feels secure in the knowledge that she is in a much better place with her money and isn’t scared of what the future holds.