Robert contacted the Printing Charity after an incredibly challenging 12-month period left him with insurmountable debt with a number of parties.
“I spent Christmas with no money.”
“All last year I was destitute,” Robert recalls. “Bills were coming in and I wasn’t sure where to turn. I spent Christmas with no money, people knocking on the door, all sorts of things going on.”
A community hub referred Robert to the Printing Charity as an organisation that, through his professional background, may be able to offer him support. He had been in contact with the charity before, but at that point he was not in a position for the charity to help him financially.
“I didn’t expect to get anything,” he explains, “but my situation got worse and by the end of last year I was sitting in my flat, cold and penniless, with my gas disconnected, thinking, ‘what shall I do?’ and I remembered the Printing Charity. I didn’t feel like writing the e-mail, because it felt like a begging letter, but I did, and the charity team came back almost instantly and said that I was eligible for help this time.”
“I now feel back to a position where I can manage.”
For Robert, that contact was the moment that everything was able to change for him. When he explained his situation to the charity team, they referred him to the free, confidential helpline for information and guidance.
Following a detailed discussion, guidance from the helpline advice line and subsequent additional support from Citizens Advice enabled him to address his debts. As he says: “I now feel back to a position where I can manage. I’m in a happier place, and after going through the mill, I’m surviving.”
He goes on to explain: “The positive domino effect that came into play as a result of contacting the charity again has changed everything. I now look at my bank account, and realise that things are definitely improving. I feel much more comfortable now. I don’t take the financial support lightly: it has got me out of trouble.”
A support system for people in print.
Robert is very clear about the value of contacting the charity, both for financial assistance and for what he refers to as ‘the support system’.
“For me, it seems like a strange thing to have to say, to encourage people to get in touch with the Printing Charity if they need help. I can’t believe anyone wouldn’t contact the charity,” he states. “If anyone I knew working in print was struggling, I would have no hesitation in telling them about you, because the support system was there for me when I needed to speak to someone, and I know it still is.”
The Printing Charity is here to provide practical, emotional and financial support for anyone working, or retired from, a career in the sectors we support. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team to start the conversation. E-mail support@theprintingcharity.org.uk or call 01293 542 820.