“When I requested the grant from you, I was as low as a person could possibly be. I had ‘lost’ my best friend - my mother - and my direction in life, and shortly after that my contract ended and I lost my job. My whole being was in pain, sometimes actual physical pain - but mostly mental pain. How I functioned in any ‘normal’ capacity (perhaps I didn't) is something I cannot remember. I felt I had lost everything. My sister died 14 months prior to my mother, which was not expected and so devastating.
 
My point of this mail to you, is that your help of £250, changed my life. I had every household bill under the sun coming at me and please, I have no debts, other than my mother's funeral. Gas, electric and banks will not wait or negotiate - as the media portrays - they want their money now. But the fact you gave me money to help me, transformed my outlook on life. You lifted an enormous pressure from me, I felt valued, not just another NI number out of work. The day you interviewed me on the telephone, I became a little emotional, oh how I missed my mum and sister, I had no support at all, was angry at the world, its systems and the total abject poverty in this very rich country, which the government are in constant denial about.
 
Except, yes - I did have support, I got it from CEBF, which I thank you profoundly for. I am now in employment, have completed paying for my mother’s funeral and in January, will have an inscription put on her gravestone to recognise my mother's life. I would also like to pay the money back to go into the pot to support other people in my situation. I am unable to do that at the moment but around March, I should be in a better financial position to give the money back - which saved me….”